My Fair Dragon
by Willow-Bane
Summary: It's the day before Spring Break, and Natsu can't wait for some fun in the sun. But his dreams come crashing down when a school project not only winds up making him stay at the home of his worst enemy, but also his biggest crush—Gray Fullbuster! Modern/AU/High School
1. Chapter 1

**My Fair Dragon**

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Disclaimer – I do not own Fairy Tail

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*Rated M for Mature

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Summary: It's the day before Spring Break, and Natsu can't wait for some fun in the sun. But his dreams come crashing down when a school project not only winds up making him stay at the home of his worst enemy, but also his biggest crush—Gray Fullbuster! Modern/AU/High School

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 **Chapter 1 – Friday (Warning: Abuse/Alcohol)**

 _Bang! Bang! Bang!_

"Boy! Git yer ass up!"

Natsu bolted into complete wakefulness at the sound of his uncle—Acnologia—banging on his door, yelling at him in a slurred voice. This was not good.

Scrambling from his bed, he threw on his school clothes, grabbed his school bag, and ran toward the window.

"Git up, ya lil piece o' shit!" his uncle spat from behind the locked door. If he didn't get out of here soon, he'd really be in for it.

Opening the window, Natsu leaned out and reached for the fire escape just outside. Quickly grabbing onto it, he raced down the unsteady steps just as his uncle broke into his room, splintering the door from its hinge.

As soon as Natsu's feet hit the pavement, pain shot up his leg, but he took off running anyway.

It was still dark. He took a quick glance at his watch and groaned. Two in the fucking morning. Where the hell was he supposed to kill the next five hours before he had to go to school?

Natsu stopped running when he reached the sidewalk near the middleclass area of Magnolia. Briskly walking alongside the empty streets, his hands in his pockets and bag thrown over his shoulder, Natsu decided the park might be the safest place to 'hang out.'

Taking the familiar path to his sanctuary, it took him no more than ten minutes to reach the place he called home when he was _unwelcome_ at the apartment he shared with his uncle.

As he searched through the dark, Natsu finally found the spot he was looking for: a small wooden bench nestled underneath a large pine tree. It was out of the way, somewhat sheltered, and would serve as an ideal place to sleep until he had to go to school.

Settling himself on the bench, he laid back, his school bag serving as a makeshift pillow. Staring up at the clouded sky through the branches, Natsu sighed as he tried to figure out how he was going to survive the next couple weeks.

Last night had been one of the worst nights of his life. His uncle—who'd taken him in about ten years ago when his father Igneel disappeared—had come home roaring drunk, beat the living shit out of him, and then had gone out to do some more drinking.

Natsu had then been left to nurse his wounds, which consisted of a few bruised ribs, a slightly twisted ankle—he was actually surprised he'd been able to run in his current condition; thank goodness for adrenaline—and a nice knot on the back of his head.

Running, however, probably hadn't been the best idea. His ankle hurt like hell now, and he winced every time he took a deep breath. But it was a small price to pay for getting out of his uncle's vicious hands.

What really sucked, though, was that today was Friday, the day before Spring Break. He'd be off for two weeks—and as it was looking right now—with no place to go. Natsu really didn't want to go back to that hellhole he refused to call home, but what choice did he have? He didn't want to intrude on his friends, and besides, they didn't know what went on between him and his uncle anyway.

Natsu brought a hand up to his face when he felt something wet running down his cheek. Was he actually crying? It couldn't be, could it? The wetness felt oddly cold. But when he started feeling drops of water on every other part of his body, he realized that he wasn't crying; it was raining.

"Why the fuck does it have to rain?" Natsu grumbled as he sat up on the park bench. So much for getting some well-needed rest.

Bringing his knees up to his chest, Natsu stared out at the rain that seemed to want to make the start of his day grow even worse. Mother Nature appeared to want to torment him, too. Could he never get a break?

As he huddled on the bench in an attempt to stay warm, he closed his eyes, wishing that the day would improve. And if he didn't have to go home for the next two weeks, that would be even better.

* * *

Natsu smiled as he closed his locker. Only one more class to go, and then he was off from school for two whole weeks! Spring Break was so close he could almost taste it. Where he'd spend those two weeks was still a bit of an issue, though, but he'd deal with that later. He was just thrilled that his day had improved.

He'd gone all day without being late, dealing with Gray, getting in trouble, dealing with Gray, falling asleep in class, and did he mention dealing with Gray? Natsu hadn't seen the asshole all day, making him feel a combination of both joy and…sorrow.

What? Could he help it if he actually liked the guy? Not a like as in the friendship kind of like, but the like as in like-like.

Yes. He had a major crush on the sexy and rich ice prince of Fairy Tail Academy. Even though all they did was fight, Natsu couldn't help but feel delighted whenever Gray Fullbuster sought _him_ out to pick on him. It made him feel…special.

But not seeing Gray might have been a good thing. Natsu wasn't really in the mood to fight. He was tired, in pain, and was still worried about _where_ he was going to spend his Spring Break. Minus the morning's events, he had been having a pretty good day.

Well, that was until he walked into something both hard and soft at the same time. The familiar scent of mint wafted through his nose.

Natsu hesitantly looked up, only to see a pale face shrouded by dark hair and evil-looking blue eyes; said eyes were glaring at him.

"Watch it, Flamebrain," Gray snapped as he spun on his heels and headed to class.

"Stop calling me that, ice bastard," Natsu retaliated softly, without much fire or spark, but his response fell on deaf ears.

Or so he thought.

Gripping his school bag tightly, he followed Gray to their classroom. Their Psychology classroom. Why he had to take Psychology of all things, Natsu didn't know. Why Gray, of all people, was taking Psychology, he _really_ didn't know.

But, alas, that's what happens when budget cuts run rampant throughout the school district; it cuts out all the good stuff and replaces it with subjects the school board feels the students need, not want.

What high school student in their right mind would _willingly_ take Psychology? It was stupid! At least it was in Natsu's eyes.

All they did was read the damn textbook and answer questions in the back of it! No lecture, no activities, no group work, no projects. Natsu hated to say it, but he would have done anything to have something interesting happen in that class.

As he took his seat near the back, Natsu started wishing he hadn't made that thought as he read the board: _Social Behavior Project_.

"Great," Natsu muttered under his breath. The last thing he needed was a school project to do over his Spring Break. Really, were _all_ teachers evil?

"Good afternoon, class," began their teacher, Mr. Dreyar. "Today I'm assigning a project for you to complete over the break. It will be on Social Behavior."

The entire class groaned, including Gray, Natsu noticed.

"Now, I know you'll all be thrilled by what I have to say. This project you'll be able to do in partners," the blonde man said with faux enthusiasm.

Natsu's ears perked up at that. The class seemed to buzz with excitement as well. If the project was going to take all Spring Break, maybe he could stay at the home of his partner. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. As long as—

"And I've already picked your partners," finished Mr. Dreyar, stunning the class into silence. Natsu could have sworn he heard a cricket or two, but brushed it off as his imagination. Plus, he wasn't pleased that their teacher had taken the liberty of selecting their partners.

"I've even assigned the project to be completed with each pair," Mr. Dreyar explained with a smirk. Did the whole 'freedom of choice' thing totally go over this guy's head or what? And with that, Mr. Dreyar began calling out the names of their partners.

After half the names were called, Natsu found himself growing anxious. He clenched his hands so tightly they were turning white. The only thing going through his mind at that moment was the mantra: _Please not Gray. Please not Gray. Please not Gray._

"Natsu Dragneel will be paired with—"

Natsu held his breath.

"—Sting Eucliffe—"

Natsu sighed in relief.

"—Oh, I'm sorry. I skipped down a line," Mr. Dreyar said sarcastically.

Natsu held his breath again.

"Mr. Dragneel, you'll be paired with Gray Fullbuster."

Natsu paled. "What?!" Bolting from his seat, the chair he'd been sitting in clattered to the floor. "I'm not gonna be his partner!"

"Mr. Dragneel, sit down," Mr. Dreyar replied, unfazed.

"I don't think you understand," Gray started, rising from his seat and glaring ominously at their teacher. "I will _not_ be paired with such a moron."

"Hey! Who are you calling a moron, you icy bastard?!" Natsu roared, turning on the teen. Perhaps yelling wasn't such a good idea. His chest was starting to hurt again.

"That is enough!" Mr. Dreyar snapped. "You _will_ be partners, you _will_ do this project, or you _will_ fail this class. Is that understood?"

Both teenagers sat down. But Natsu had to sit down again. This time _with_ the chair. He'd forgotten he'd knocked it over.

Mr. Dreyar finished reading off the names and told them to sit with their partners. He then passed out a large manila envelope that supposedly held the requirements for their project.

Natsu was about to open it when Gray snatched it out of his hands.

"I was gonna open it," Natsu said softly, glaring weakly at Gray. Why did he feel so drained?

"Unlikely. Morons don't know how to use their opposable thumbs, remember?" Gray replied with a smirk.

Natsu huffed and crossed his arms. He couldn't think of a comeback. Like he ever could.

Why did that hot, sexy bastard always have to have the last word? Of all people, why did he have to like _him_? Natsu didn't know how it had happened. It just had! It was like one of those unsolved mysteries or something.

"What…the…hell?"

Gray's stern voice drew him from his thoughts. Of course, when Natsu looked at him, he wanted to run for cover. Gray looked like he was about to explode.

This time, Gray bolted from his seat. "What the hell do you mean we have to live together over the break?!" he yelled at Mr. Dreyar, who, again, appeared unfazed.

"It's the only way you'll be able to effectively complete your assignment. The two of you must live together for the entire break, although, _where_ you stay does not matter to me. Everyone will present their projects as soon as school resumes."

As Gray and Mr. Dreyar had their verbal battle about the requirements for the assignment, Natsu couldn't help but panic.

They couldn't live at _his_ place! His uncle would kill him! And, now that he really thought about it, if he was gone for two whole weeks, and then came back to the apartment, his uncle would _really_ kill him!

Natsu hugged himself subconsciously. He was screwed either way. If he thought the beatings he received at home were bad now, he didn't know what to call them when he went back after being gone for two weeks. He was as good as dead.

"Flamebrain?" Was that concern in Gray's voice or was he imagining things again?

"Huh?"

Gray seemed to contemplate his next words. "You look like you have a fever," he said, placing a hand on Natsu's forehead.

Natsu recoiled from the sudden touch. "Don't," he stated firmly.

Sighing in irritation, Gray drew back his hand. "If you're going to be living at my place for the next two weeks, I would suggest you not come sick."

Natsu just grew more concerned. When was the decision made that he was living with Gray? Had he been lost in his thoughts for that long?

"I'm…living with you?" Natsu asked, dumbfounded.

"Yes, moron! Haven't you been listening at all?"

Natsu's head started pounding. Maybe he _was_ getting sick. Rubbing his temples, Natsu whispered, "Please don't yell." His head hurt so much that he felt like he was going to cry.

Gray was shocked by the other's quiet response, but he didn't let it show. What the hell was wrong with the idiot now? He was unsure about what to do next, and that made him uncomfortable. He always knew what to do…but now, he didn't.

"Do you want me to explain the project to you?" inquired Gray evenly.

Natsu looked up at him with surprised eyes. Was Gray actually trying to be civil? "Um…o-okay."

"Our Social Behavior Project is on the relation between social influences, personality, and such. Basically, one of us has to study the other—which will be you—take notes, and write a paper on it. Then an experiment is conducted on that person—you again—meaning you get to be my guinea pig. I'll need to change the way you handle yourself, and be able to pass you off as someone of my _elite_ status. When we get back from the break, I will be presenting you as the completed portion of this project. Just think, you might not be a moron anymore, but mediocre," Gray said with a smirk.

Natsu just gaped at him like a fish. What was he? Some kind of kept pet or something?

"Why do _you_ get to be the one doing experiments?"

"Have you ever read _Pygmalion_?"

Natsu shook his head, not knowing where Gray was going with this.

"Have you ever seen _My Fair Lady_?"

Natsu shook his head again.

"Both are one and the same. A man comes along and takes a poor woman selling flowers off the street. He cleans her up, teaches her how to speak and act as a proper lady, and virtually passes her off as some sort of princess. Our project is basically the same." Gray turned to smirk devilishly at him. Natsu didn't like that look. "Well?"

Natsu just dropped his head and nodded in defeat. There was no point in arguing now because Gray had already made up his mind. And he _really_ didn't feel like fighting. He was too exhausted.

"What the hell is wrong with you today?" Gray asked, his voice deathly low.

Natsu's brows knitted in confusion. "I don't know what you mean."

"Why won't you fight with me? Why are you suddenly acting so…submissive?"

"I'm not. I'm just tired, okay?" _Now, leave me alone,_ Natsu thought to himself.

Gray did _not_ want to let this go. Something was wrong with his moron. He'd figure it out sooner or later. Sooner rather than later.

He was about to comment on this when the shrill cry of the bell suddenly cut him off. Glaring at the bell evilly, he stood up from his seat and stared down at Natsu.

"Are you coming or not?" he snapped as he briskly walked out of the classroom.

Natsu grabbed his school bag and sped after him. "Where are we going?"

"My car."

When they reached the parking lot of the school, Gray led him to a shiny black car.

"Get in," Gray quipped.

Natsu hesitated. "Where are we going?" he repeated.

"My place. Now get in!" Gray was beginning to lose his patience.

"But…my stuff…is at…home." Natsu flinched a little as he reluctantly called that dingy apartment he shared with his uncle 'home.'

"You won't need anything. Now get in before I make you."

Natsu sighed and slid into the car, Gray following suit.

"Why can't I get my stuff?"

"According to the requirements of this project, you won't _need_ your stuff."

"What do you mean?"

"If you're going to be my experiment, then I need to change everything. This includes the way you look and dress." Gray smiled inwardly. This was going to be fun. The moron was _his_ now, to do with as he pleased.

Gray suddenly balked when this thought crossed his mind. _Why am I getting a rush from calling him my moron? He isn't mine. But…I have to admit I wouldn't mind him belonging to me. He's loyal, compassionate, clumsy, adorable…Where the fuck did that come from?_ As Gray started arguing with himself in his head, he didn't notice the sudden change in Natsu's demeanor.

The pinkette put a shaky hand to his head as he was hit by a wave of dizziness and nausea. What the hell was wrong with him now? Was he really getting sick, or did he have a concussion from where he was hit?

Panic slowly started to seize him when he started blacking out. "Gray?" he gasped out. What else could he do? He was scared something was wrong with him, and Gray was the only one there.

Gray was surprised, to say the least, when he heard fear in Natsu's voice. And when he turned to face him, he was shocked into action. Pulling over, her put the car into park. "Flamebrain? What's wrong?" he asked as he reached over and steadied Natsu in his seat.

"Can't see," he whispered as he clutched onto Gray's arm.

Can't see? "What do you mean you can't see?"

Natsu swallowed hard and squeezed his eyes shut when a wave of pain coursed through his body. He whimpered slightly, waiting for it to pass.

By this time, Gray was literally freaking out. What the hell was wrong with his Flamebrain? His Pinky?

Reacting more out of instinct than anything else, Gray gently grabbed Natsu and pulled him into his lap securely and tried to get him to relax.

"Easy there, Pinky," he said soothingly.

Natsu was temporarily brought out of his pain-filled delirium when he realized Gray was being…comforting. And gradually, the pain began to subside and his vision finally cleared, but he was still scared to death.

Gray, noticing that Natsu no longer seemed to be in pain—at least for now—turned the pinkette to face him. "Pinky?" he called out softly.

Recognition seemed to dawn in Natsu's eyes, but there was confusion there, too. "Pinky?" Today was the first day Gray had ever called him that, and he had to admit, it was better than Flamebrain.

Gray froze. Shit. Had he actually said that out loud? By the puzzled look on Natsu's face, he assumed he did. "Yes. Pinky. Because of your hair," he mumbled in explanation for his slipup.

"Oh," Natsu replied, looking down at his lap. That's when he noticed whose lap he was in. And then he was trying to struggle out of Gray's hold. "Let me go."

"No," Gray said forcefully, pulling Natsu back into his lap. "And stop flailing. You'll only make what's wrong with you worse."

It was Natsu's turn to freeze. Worse? He didn't want to feel worse than he already did.

When the pinkette stopped moving, Gray decided now was the time to figure out just what was going on with him. "How are you feeling now?"

Natsu eyed him warily. Why should he tell him anything? "Why do you wanna know? You don't care," he responded quietly.

Gray couldn't help but feel his heart go out to him. Natsu sounded so helpless. So… _alone_. "Maybe I do. Now tell me. How are you feeling?"

"Not…good."

Sighing in irritation—for what felt like the hundredth time that day—Gray asked, "Do you feel sick? Are you hurt anywhere?" At this, he felt Natsu stiffen. Thinking he struck gold, he continued. "Where are you hurt?"

Natsu just shook his head.

"Where are you hurt, Flamebrain?"

Closing his eyes again, Natsu tried to wish everything away, but failed miserably. Why did Gray have to sound so…concerned? It made his heart ache for something more.

"Flamebrain, if you're hurt, tell me where so that I can have a doctor take a look at you," Gray insisted.

"Everywhere." Natsu decided to give in.

"What?"

"I hurt…everywhere." _Please don't ask how._

"How did you get hurt?"

 _No. I can't tell. Because then I'll remember and I'll…no! I can't cry now!_ Natsu squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head, but he couldn't help the little tear that escaped.

Gray noticed it. "Flamebrain."

* * *

The rest of the drive continued in silence. Gray looked back at Natsu, concern bubbling inside of him. "We're home, Flamebrain," he said softly, hoping to coax Natsu into cooperation. Gray slipped out of the car and waited for Natsu to follow suit.

When he finally did, Gray had to rush over to catch him when he lost his balance.

Pain shot up Natsu's leg, making it feel as if it were on fire. He'd overworked his sprained ankle. He knew that, and he wouldn't be able to get around without help.

"Flamebrain?" There was Gray's concerned voice again. "Are you okay to walk?"

Natsu hated to admit it, but he didn't think he could even make it a step. Shaking his head, Natsu got the shock of his life when Gray lifted him bridal-style and started carrying him to the house, babbling his head off.

"I'm calling a doctor as soon as I get you inside. You will _stay_ in bed unless I say otherwise. I don't want you getting worse. You _will_ tell me what happened. You'd better be honest with me as well," he rambled as he stepped through the front door.

"Gray!" came a deep-pitched voice. "And Natsu!" Lyon exclaimed, quite surprised. But soon, a mischievous twinkle was in his eye as he noticed the position they were in. Hey, it wasn't every day you saw your younger brother waltz in through the front door holding their secret crush like a bride. Not that his brother knew that he knew, of course.

Lyon's loud voice was a bit too much for Natsu to handle at the moment, for he placed a hand to his head again and whimpered slightly.

"Natsu?" Lyon called, this time softer. Concern and worry were etched on his face as he looked to his brother for an explanation.

"Call the family doctor and tell her to get here. Soon," said Gray as he made his way toward the stairs. Lyon raced off to do just that.

When Gray reached the top of the stairs, he debated where to take his Pinky. For the love of— _h_ _is_ Pinky? He really needed to stop doing that…even if he really _did_ like the pinkette in his arms. How could one simple crush make him want to do anything for him? But he highly doubted Natsu felt the same.

Deciding he'd much rather have Natsu in his room than anywhere else, that was exactly where he took him. And as he gently placed the pinkette on the bed, he stepped back to take in his pallid complexion.

Natsu took in his 'blue' surroundings apprehensively. This had to be Gray's room. But why would he take him here? Feeling uncomfortable, he was about to say something when he felt a weight on the bed next to him.

"My doctor will be here to check on you in a bit. Do you want to tell me anything before she gets here?" Gray asked honestly.

Natsu remained silent.

"Then I guess I'll just find out after she examines you," Gray said finally as he stood from the bed.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. "Gray? Mira is here," announced Lyon.

"Let her in."

The bedroom door opened and in came Lyon and Mira. She was a beautiful woman who looked to be quite young for a doctor.

"My patient is on the bed, I presume?"

"Yes," responded Gray.

"Then I'd like to ask the both of you to leave so that I may examine my patient in private."

Gray weighed his options, but decided it was for the best. Taking Lyon, they left Natsu with the doctor.

* * *

"How long does it take to do a stupid examination?" Gray grumbled under his breath as he paced the living room floor.

Lyon just sat on the couch and watched his brother helplessly. "He's going to be fine, Gray."

Pausing, he stared at his older brother, sighing tiredly. "I hope so."

"You should tell Natsu you like him."

Gray's head shot up and a light blush stained his cheeks. "What? How'd you—"

"I'm your older brother. I know everything about you. You should know by now that you can't hide anything from me. Especially that diary of yours," he snickered.

"You—"

"Gray?" Mira's voice interrupted their conversation.

"How is he?" Gray asked, rounding on the poor doctor. "Is he going to be okay? What's wrong with him?"

Mira placed her bag down and stared at the nervous teen. "He's suffered a mild concussion, which explains the slight blackout he had accompanied by vision loss, but that will clear up if he takes it easy. He has a few bruised ribs, which I've wrapped, and a severely sprained ankle. I've wrapped that as well. Make sure he stays off it for a few days. He is also covered in numerous bruises. Some bad…some severe…and he appears to be a bit malnourished. I think he's…being abused. Are you aware of his home life?"

Gray was still trying to take everything in. "He…um, he lives with his uncle. I know that he…drinks quite often."

Nodding, Mira continued. "I shall report him to the authorities. Make sure Mr. Dragneel remains in bed for the next few days, make sure he starts eating well, and give him the painkillers I've left on the bedside table. He has a bit of a cold, mainly due to his immune system being shot from malnutrition, but the painkillers, rest, and a few balanced meals should fix him up. Take good care of him," she said.

As she left, Gray and Lyon just stood there in silence.

His Pinky was being abused? By his uncle? For how long?

"Give him some painkillers, and I'll get him something to eat, okay?" said Lyon, trying to get his brother to respond.

Gray nodded absently and went up the stairs and entered his bedroom. Natsu was curled up in the center of the bed, trembling.

"Pinky?" Gray called softly. When he received no response, he decided to try a different tactic. "Natsu?"

Well, that was new. Uncurling himself, Natsu slowly turned to see Gray staring at him—dare he say it—tenderly. Suddenly, the pinkette's eyes watered. "She told you, didn't she? She told you."

Gray sat on the bed and pulled Natsu into his arms. "Mira told me that someone had been abusing you. Was it…your uncle?"

"Y…Y-Yes," Natsu stammered out between sobs as he buried his face in the crook of Gray's neck and cried. He'd finally said it.

"Then how would you like it if you never had to go back? You can stay here."

"What? But why—"

"Because no one should have to go through something like that," Gray interrupted. "So you will stay here, and for the next few days you _will_ remain in bed. Mira said you need to take it easy. You've got a mild concussion, bruised ribs, a sprained ankle, and you're malnourished."

Natsu appeared stunned. That much was wrong with him? "I'm…gonna be okay, right?"

Gray nodded. "If you rest and eat well, you'll be fine."

Silence followed as they tried to figure out what else to say to each other. It was strange…not fighting about something. This was the closest they had ever been to being civil to one another.

Here they were, in the same room, each harboring a crush for one another without the other's knowledge, and they couldn't say a word. Even with how Gray was helping Natsu now, the teen couldn't find it in him to express his true emotions to the pinkette.

The awkward silence was soon disrupted, however, when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in, Lyon," said Gray.

Lyon walked in with a tray filled with food. "How did you know it was me?"

Gray rolled his eyes. "Who else would it be? Ultear's away at school, and mom's on a business trip."

Laughing in embarrassment, Lyon set the tray on the bedside table and looked over at Natsu. "How are you feeling?"

"Um…okay now, I guess," Natsu replied hesitantly.

"I brought you food," Lyon stated brightly. "I didn't know what you liked, so I just grabbed whatever I could find."

Gray looked at his older brother disapprovingly. "I hope it's not all junk food, Lyon."

"No matter how many times I hear it, it's still rather odd being lectured by your younger brother," scolded Lyon. "And it's not. I made a couple peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. And I got you a banana, some carrot sticks, chips, cookies, pudding, and some milk," Lyon stated proudly.

Natsu couldn't help but smile at the older teen's enthusiasm. "Looks good," he said softly. He moved out of Gray's grasp when he noticed he was still in his arms and settled himself in the middle of the bed. Lyon put the tray next to him and tossed the bottle of painkillers to Gray.

"I'll let you eat and then Gray can give you something for the pain," stated Lyon as he headed toward the door. But before he left, he turned his worried eyes on Natsu. "And please get better soon."

Natsu was taken aback by Lyon's sudden seriousness. "I will."

Lyon, content with Natsu's response, left the room in peace.

"What was that all about?"

Gray sighed and looked at the pinkette. "He's worried about you."

"Oh." Natsu fidgeted with his shirt. "Are you worried about me, too?"

The pinkette swore he saw a light blush staining Gray's cheeks, but before he could verify it, it was gone.

"You should eat. Then I'll give you some painkillers. All right?" responded Gray after a moment's hesitation. Feeling slightly disappointed by Gray's response, Natsu nodded and quietly began eating.

About a sandwich later, Natsu said he was full, and he drank the milk with the painkillers.

Gray was not pleased by how little Natsu ate, but he pushed that worry aside. Perhaps his Pinky was just too tired to really eat anything. Besides, the pinkette looked as drained as he felt.

"Do you want to change into something more comfortable?" Gray asked suddenly.

"Sure," Natsu stuttered. Gray acting both nicely and distantly at the same time was confusing. Did Gray like him, or did he just feel pity for him?

A rustling sound drew him from his thoughts. "Put these on," said Gray, tossing a pair of pajamas next to him. "Let me know if you need any help or when you're finished dressing." Gray then headed into the bathroom with his own change of clothes.

Natsu looked down at the red silk pajamas Gray had left him with. They were smooth to the touch and seemed comfortable, even if they did appear a bit too big.

Taking off his shirt, he slipped the pajama top on and did the same with the pants. As soon as he finished, he let Gray know he was done. When Gray came back into the room, he was dressed in a matching pair of pajamas, but these were blue instead of red.

"Are you ready to get some sleep?" asked Gray.

Natsu nodded, but then he realized something. "Where am I gonna sleep?"

"Here," Gray answered a little too quickly as helped Natsu up so that he could pull down the blankets.

"W-With you?"

Gray gave him his signature smirk. "I need to make sure that you're resting and not doing anything to harm yourself further, so yes, you'll be sharing my bed with me. Now get in."

Natsu started to visibly tremble, not sure that he could quite trust the smirking teen.

"Pinky," Gray began calmly, "I'm not going to do anything to you. I promise. I just want to be here in case you need anything or if your current condition worsens. You had a fever earlier, and I want to keep an eye on you. I don't want you getting any worse. Now come to bed." Sliding into the bed, Natsu soon found himself under the blankets with Gray lying right next to him.

Gray quickly realized that it looked like his Pinky wanted to ask him something. "What is it, Pinky?"

"Could you…never mind. It's stupid," Natsu mumbled as he rolled so that his back was facing Gray.

"Pinky, don't be afraid to ask me anything."

Natsu shyly looked back at Gray and muttered, "Could you…hold me until I fall asleep…please?"

When Gray made no indication of responding, Natsu turned away from him again. It was a stupid idea anyway. Why would someone like Gray ever do something like tha—

Natsu yelped as he suddenly felt two strong arms wrap around his body. "See? That wasn't so hard, was it?" whispered Gray.

Sighing contentedly, Natsu replied, "No."

But he was still a bit tense. Gray knew that. He also knew that it would take a while before Natsu would trust him completely. "Goodnight, Pinky."

"Good…night," he mumbled, his consciousness fading. It had been a long day and he was really tired. Natsu figured he'd just sort out his feelings and the mess he'd gotten himself into tomorrow.

Gray relaxed and let a smile show on his face when he heard the soft snoring coming from his Pinky. Tightening his hold around him, he made himself more comfortable and thought about what tomorrow would have in store for them.

Perhaps the only way to truly get Natsu to trust him would be to get to know him. It was probably a good thing that they had this Social Behavior Project to complete. This would give him the leverage he needed to…court him, if you will.

"Tomorrow, we'll start our project. Isn't that right, Natsu?" Gray smirked at the sleeping pinkette. He couldn't wait until tomorrow. Although this was strange coming from him, he had to admit, what he had planned sounded quite…fun.

* * *

 **End Chapter**


	2. Chapter 2

**My Fair Dragon**

* * *

Disclaimer – I do not own Fairy Tail

* * *

*Rated M for Mature

* * *

Summary: It's the day before Spring Break, and Natsu can't wait for some fun in the sun. But his dreams come crashing down when a school project not only winds up making him stay at the home of his worst enemy, but also his biggest crush—Gray Fullbuster! Modern/AU/High School

* * *

 **Chapter 2 – Saturday (Warning: Abuse/Alcohol)**

Natsu rolled over onto his side and sighed as he gazed at the sleeping teen next to him. It was early morning, and he was actually quite surprised that Gray was still asleep, but that wasn't the reason he'd woken up so early.

His mind was plagued with thoughts of Gray's true intentions toward him. He'd treated him so…cruelly before. And now it seemed as if Gray was a completely different person. Did Gray actually like him, or was it just some sort of game?

Natsu guessed he _could_ see how Gray's insistent picking on him might be similar to a boy picking on a girl that he liked, but Natsu was far from being a girl! Knowing the cold-hearted teen, the pinkette wouldn't put it past him to mess with him either.

But what if Gray _was_ being sincere? Did he really want to blow his chances of having a real relationship with him? He knew he didn't want to mess things up, but how was he going to prove Gray's honesty? It wasn't like he could ask Gray straight out. His wall of defense would pop up faster than a computer's firewall protection.

So what could he do?

Natsu stared at Gray for a full five minutes before an uncharacteristic idea popped into his head. Would Gray be honest and show his true self if he—Natsu—was not himself?

There was only one way to find out, but he needed to wait for Gray to wake before he could put his plan into motion.

* * *

Gray woke with a start. A rush of memories from the previous day suddenly flashed through his mind. Yesterday couldn't have been real, could it? The soft sound of snoring next to him let him know that yesterday had been, in fact, a reality.

A small smile spread across his face as he brushed a few strands of hair out of his Pinky's face, abruptly causing Natsu to wake up.

And scramble away from him in a manner of seconds with a terrified look on his face!

"Pinky? Are you all right?" Gray asked unsurely, eyeing the frightened pinkette warily.

Natsu cocked his head in confusion. "Pinky? What's a Pinky?"

Gray narrowed his eyes. "You."

"Me…what?"

Gray growled. "Are you purposely being dense this morning, Natsu?"

"Who's Natsu?" the pinkette stuttered.

Eyes widening in surprise, Gray jumped out of the bed and raced over to the pinkette frantically. "You don't know who you are?"

Natsu stared at the floor and raised his eyes hesitantly toward the other teen, his eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "No," he answered quietly before he looked back down at the ground.

Gray didn't know if he wanted to faint, throttle the pinkette, or kill his doctor. Although his third choice appeared to be the most appealing, it was out of the question. Then it dawned on him.

His Pinky had amnesia!

Natsu observed the horrified look on Gray's face and inwardly smirked. Everything was going according to plan. He knew the acting he'd developed over the years would be good for something. All he had to do was continue with this façade until he knew what he wanted to know.

"Who…are you?" Natsu questioned softly, keeping up his flawless performance.

Gray was startled out of his reverie. "I'm…I'm Gray Fullbuster."

"Okay. That's your name, but _who_ are you?"

 _Who am I? What the hell is that supposed to mean?_ Gray thought. This was getting weird. But natsu's next words threw Gray for a loop.

"Are you…my boyfriend or something?" Natsu inquired innocently. He noticed that Gray's face turned an awful shade of red.

"Boyfriend?" the teen sputtered. "What makes you think we're b-boyfriends?"

Natsu cocked his head to the side, making himself appear quite pure and innocent. "We…slept in the same bed, right? And these are too big for me," Natsu replied, indicating his pajamas. "They're yours, right?"

Gray struggled to get out a straight answer. "Yes, those are my clothes, but we're not boyfriends!" he explained hurriedly. "I don't even think you really like me."

Natsu seemed to contemplate his words for a moment. "Do you…like _me_ then?"

How the hell was he supposed to answer _that_? Of course he liked him! But he couldn't tell Natsu this _now_ , right? He didn't even remember anything! But if he did tell his Pinky how he felt, it would be like getting some practice in before he could _really_ confess. And maybe if he did it now, he wouldn't face rejection. But if he did do it now, and his Pinky remembered what he did at a later time, what would happen then?

Gray started to get a headache. All that frantic, obsessive compulsiveness over one's crush could really take it out on a person. Why did emotions have to make things so complicated and strenuous? Fucking emotions.

"Yes," Gray muttered.

Natsu's eyes widened in surprise. "What?"

Blue eyes, now swimming with raw emotion, blazed before him. "I do like you…very much. I have for a long time. Don't feel obliged to respond to how I feel toward you. You're…not in your right mind. You'll probably be throwing insults at me again before you know it."

Was it just him or did Gray actually sound hurt? Natsu had to admit, he'd been surprised when Gray admitted that he liked him, but he hadn't been ready for how _much_ Gray liked him. He'd never seen the teen so vulnerable. And there were more emotions radiating from him now that showed love and compassion than any time he'd ever been angry and irritated when they fought. Gray's response had just about floored him.

"I…" Natsu began, but he couldn't seem to be able to string a sentence together.

Gray gave him a pained smile. "You don't have to say anything. Right now, I'm just concerned about your health. Just…give me a few minutes and I'll call my doctor. I think…you might be suffering from temporary amnesia or something. Maybe from the bump on your head?" It sounded like Gray was talking more to himself than Natsu for the time being, for he kept mumbling.

He stopped, however, when he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. Gray turned to face the concerned looking pinkette. Forcing a smile onto his face, Gray led him to the bed and sat Natsu down. "Just stay here and relax. I'll be back in a minute," he said as he walked into his bathroom and shut the door, leaving Natsu all alone.

"Fuck," the pinkette mumbled under his breath. He didn't know whether he should feel elated or disgusted with himself for pulling his 'amnesia' stunt.

On the one hand, he'd discovered that Gray more than likely had a major crush on him…like he did. He should feel happy about that, right? But on the other hand, he'd just seriously hurt him. Natsu hadn't meant to; it just sort of happened that way.

Well, it was time to put an end to his little charade. Perhaps getting Gray to _really_ confess to him would be a better plan.

* * *

Gray gripped the sink in his bathroom shakily. Why did everything in his life have to go wrong? His Pinky— _his_ Pinky—was sitting in his room, on his bed, suffering from a case of amnesia! And here he was, hiding in his bathroom because he was too terrified to face the situation at hand.

He'd just confessed to his Pinky…who had no fucking memory of either him or himself! What kind of a person _was_ he? Taking advantage of him like that in such a vulnerable state was detestable!

But all he could do now was make sure his Pinky would be okay. All he had to do was call his doctor, and hopefully everything would straighten itself out soon.

Steeling himself, Gray opened the door and stepped out of the bathroom.

"Morning, ice princess."

Gray froze and stared apprehensively at the pinkette sitting on his bed. Did he just step into a parallel univers? Had he been dreaming? Sleepwalking? Just who needed the doctor?

"Aren't you going to say anything, Gray?"

"You know who I am?" exclaimed the teen, surprise evident on his face.

"Why wouldn't I?" Natsu raised an eyebrow at him.

"But…you…a few minutes ago…I'm calling Mira," Gray finally decided. This was way too much for him to handle right now.

"No!" Natsu protested, reaching out to prevent the teen from grabbing the phone next to the bed.

"Pinky, you didn't remember who I was this morning. Hell, you didn't even remember who _you_ were. And now you do? Something's not right. I'm calling Mira," he insisted.

Natsu swallowed hard. It was now or never. "I lied."

Gray paused in dialing to look at the pinkette incredulously.

"I faked it. Forgetting everything. I made it up."

Gray slammed the phone down. "Why the fuck would you do something like that?" he ground out.

Natsu winced at the resounding bang that seemed to bounce off the walls from the slammed phone. "I…had to know the truth."

Any self-restraint or patience Gray had had earlier was now gone. All he currently felt was absolute fury. "You fucking piece of shit! How dare you mock me! Is this just some sick and twisted game for you? You just go ahead and squeeze the truth out of me and then spit it back in my face? I was worried sick about you and then you tricked me!"

Gray was furious. It scared Natsu half to death. He hadn't expected Gray to react like this.

Shakily standing up, he approached the fuming teen. "I didn't mean to hurt yo—"

"Hurt me?" And then the stoic and cold-hearted person was back. He smirked evilly at Natsu. "Why would anyone as pathetic and worthless as _you_ hurt _me_? I'm done with you," he stated coolly as he headed for the door.

A hand shot out to stop him. "Gray—"

Gray reached out and grabbed the front of natsu's shirt, yanking him toward him. The pinkette desperately fought against the tightening grip. "Don't you _ever_ speak to me again. Do you understand?" he growled threateningly.

Natsu whimpered slightly and nodded. He was absolutely terrified of Gray right now.

"Good. I want your good-for-nothing ass out of this house today," he spat as he pushed natsu away from him as hard as he could.

Gray turned and headed out the door. He didn't hear the scream. He didn't hear the snap of bone. He didn't hear the pained cries and sobs from within his bedroom.

He was far too livid.

* * *

Reaching downstairs, Gray stormed into the kitchen. How dare that Flamebrain manipulate him that way? And for what? To—

"I never let him answer me," Gray said in sudden realization. "I was so mad that he'd lied to me that I didn't give him a chance to tell me the truth."

Guilt gnawed at him. All of those hurtful comments he's said to…his Pinky…and it was all for nothing. He'd just lashed out because he was angry and because he could. His Pinky was already hurt and had been abused for quite some time, and he'd just screamed at him.

He should go back and apologize…and make Natsu understand that he didn't mean all those mean things he'd said. He should go back and tell his Pinky that he truly did like him.

"Gray? What are you doing down here?"

Lyon's voice snapped him out of it. "Uh…the Flamebrain and I had a little fight."

"Gray," Lyon sighed in exasperation, clutching the tray filled with the breakfast he'd made for Natsu.

Gray noticed the tray in his brother's hands. "Go see him. I highly doubt he wants to see me right now."

Lyon rolled his eyes, but left anyway. He headed up the stairs, taking the familiar path to his brother's bedroom. Pushing open the door, he put on a smile. "Natsu, I—"

 _Crash!_

The tray fell from Lyon's hands as he took in the sight before him.

* * *

 _Crash!_

Gray's head snapped up. What the hell was that?

Racing up the stairs, he bolted for his room, throwing open the door in the process. "Lyon? What hap—" He couldn't finish what he was saying. How could he when he noticed the pain etched on his Pinky's face? But when he looked over the situation, he realized just what he'd done…and it pained him to no end.

Natsu was half sitting on the floor next to the bed. His left hand gripped the sheets as if it were his very lifeline. He'd tried pulling himself up, but couldn't. He was in far too much pain.

After Gray had pushed him eariler, he'd stumbled. And while trying to right himself so that he wouldn't injure his sprained ankle further, he'd slipped. The uninjured ankle was no longer uninjured; it was sprained as well. But that wasn't all.

His right wrist was broken. It had snapped. And was sticking out at an odd angle. Natsu could have sworn it felt like bone was poking out through his skin, but he was frantically trying to keep consciousness rather than look and see if that were true. It hurt so much!

"Natsu," Gray gasped as he raced over to the pinkette. He put one arm under Natsu's legs and lifted them off the ground, the other wrapped around his waist as he put him in a sitting position on the bed. "Call Mira, Lyon!"

Lyon hesitated slightly, but ran off to make the call anyway.

"I'm so sorry, Natsu. I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm so sorry," Gray chanted over and over again.

"I know," Natsu wheezed. "I know you…didn't mean it. I shouldn't have…tricked you. S-Sorry!"

"You have nothing to be sorry for," Gray whispered as he bent his head and rested it on Natsu's shoulder as he rocked him comfortingly. "It was my fault. I got angry. I just…Pinky, I hope you know how sorry I am," he cried desperately.

With what strength Natsu had left, he turned to face Gray. "I…know. I…like you, too…Gray," he said before finally passing out from all the pain he had suffered, both physically and mentally.

When Gray felt Natsu go limp in his arms, he panicked. "Natsu? Natsu, wake up!" he demanded, trying to gently shake the pinkette awake.

He had no such luck.

Minutes later, Mira came through the door with an ashen-faced Lyon. Briefly looking over the pinkette, she said, "All right, Gray. I need you to lay him on the bed and then I need you to leave."

It was then that Gray noticed there were two nurses with Mira. So they were going to take care of everything here?

Gray did as he was told, and when he'd finally left the room, the door slammed in his face. Staring blankly at the door for a few minutes, he turned and aimlessly walked down the hall to his study. When he reached it, he opened the door and made to sit down on the couch he had in the room.

He didn't notice Lyon follow him into the room until he heard a soft click from the door.

"Lyon?"

 _Smack!_

Gray held his cheek in surprise as he stared, open-mouthed, at his furious older brother.

"You hurt him! _You_ did that to him!" Lyon yelled accusingly.

Lowering his eyes, Gray just stared at the floor in defeat. But that was all the answer Lyon needed.

"How could you do that, Gray?" Lyon's voice sounded lost. "Why would you hurt Natsu? After all he's been through, why would you hurt him?"

Gray was at a loss for words. He hadn't meant to hurt the pinkette; he was just angry because he thought Natsu was going to mock him for confessing to him. It wasn't often he opened up, because whenever he did, he got hurt. And that's just what he'd been expecting. But before he could be sure of what would really happen, he'd lashed out before any damage could be done.

And it had been the wrong thing to do. So wrong.

"I didn't mean to," Gray said quietly, turning his pain-filled eyes to Lyon. "I didn't mean to hurt him. It just happened."

Lyon was surprised that this had hurt his brother so deeply. "What happened?"

Gray squeezed his eyes shut. "He faked amnesia this morning…and I…I confessed to him. Then I left for a few minutes to get myself under control. When I came back into the room…he was himself again. I was concerned, so I told him I was going to call Mira. He tried to stop me, saying that he faked the whole thing. I asked him why, and he said that it was because he wanted to know the truth."

When he paused, Lyon urged him to continue. "Then what?"

"I…I got so angry…because he tricked me. I thought…I thought that he was going to mock me for confessing to him or something, but I never gave him a chance to explain. I insulted him instead. When I was about to leave, he stopped me and called out to me. I…lost it then. I insulted him again and pushed him away from me. I didn't know I hurt him. I didn't know I broke his wrist. I was so mad…so afraid of getting hurt by him, that I…I…"

Gray couldn't take it anymore and let a tear escape, leaving Lyon standing there in shock.

Gray started cring for everything bad that had ever happened to him. He cried for the death of his father; he cried for his mother always being away; he cried for for having to seal his heart away so he wouldn't get hurt; he cried from all the people who constantly tried to take advantage of him, who constantly tried to use him and hurt him; he cried for the person he fell in love with and had hurt; and he cried for destroying Lyon's faith in him.

It was just too much to deal with.

Suddenly, he felt two small arms wrap around his waist. Lyon was hugging him.

This only made him cry more as he put his arms around Lyon's shoulders and hugged him tightly in return, all the while mumbling, "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Gray. Everything's going to be okay." Gray was surprised by how forceful Lyon's words were. They stayed like that until Mira found them.

"Gray?" The brothers stood to face Mira. "We put a cast on Mr. Dragneel's wrist and when he regained consciousness, he explained the situation. It seemed he tried to get out of bed himself and fell. While he tried to right himself on his good leg, he ended up slipping and twisted his other ankle, breaking his wrist in the process," she continued, casting a disbelieving glance over them. "His right wrist is in a cast and I've changed the wrappings on his ankle and ribs and have wrapped his other ankle. He's currently resting."

"Thank you," said Gray quietly.

"And Gray? If I am called here again before I have to remove Mr. Dragneel's cast, I am removing him from your care. Is that understood?"

He nodded quickly and watched as Mira left the study.

"Let's go see Natsu," said Lyon, tugging on his brother's wrist.

The brothers left the study and headed for Gray's room. Unsure about what to do, Gray knocked on the door.

"You don't have to knock, you know? It is your room."

Embarrassed by his actions, Gray opened the door and stepped into the room with Lyon. The mess created by Lyon after dropping the tray had been cleared, and Natsu lay on the bed…sort of. He was in a semi-sitting position with pillows propping him up. There was even a pillow under each foot. Gray supposed they were elevated for a reason. Gray's right wrist, now in a cast, was nestled in his lap.

"Mira says I have to stay off my feet for two days. I have to stay in bed for _two whole days_. I'm not allowed to walk. And I get the cast off in four weeks."

Natsu turned his head so that he was looking at the two brothers. His attempt at normalcy didn't seem to be having the calming effect he'd hoped for.

"I'm okay," the pinkette insisted.

This seemed to relax Gray and Lyon somewhat, so they came closer to the bed.

"Are you hungry, Natsu?" Lyon asked, knowing full well that the pinkette's stomach was probably downright complaining by now; that and he believed his brother and Natsu needed some alone time.

Natsu looked at him sheepishly as his stomach answered for him. "I guess I could use some breakfast."

"It'll be more like lunch now, anyhow," replied Lyon, smiling.

"Oh. That's okay, too."

Lyon made for the door to make lunch, but paused. Turning back around, he said, "Gray? Do you mind if we eat lunch in here and watch a movie with Natsu? I'm sure he could use some entertainment."

"Sure," Gray answered, making Lyon smile in response. "I have something in mind to watch anyway. Just give me a chance to find it."

After Lyon walked through the door, Gray busied himself with searching for the movie he wanted to watch.

"Gray? Nothing's your fault, you know," Natsu's soft voice broke through Gray's shuffling.

"I can't help but feel everything's my fault. I hurt you. I didn't mean to, but I still hurt you. You might be able to forgive me, but I can't forgive myself quite that easily," Gray replied, continuing his search.

"Why do you have to be so stubborn? You already said you were sorry. If anything…I know you meant that."

Gray found what he was looking for and placed it on the dresser. Then he walked over to the bed and sat down next to Natsu.

"Can I ask you a question, Natsu?"

"Go ahead."

Blue eyes suddenly bore in green ones. "Why did you trick me this morning? What truth were you searching for?"

Natsu dropped his head and stared at his cast. He was starting to get that burning sensation behind his eyes again. Why was it that the people he cared about most could always make him want to cry? Yes, he cared for his uncle somewhat even though it seemed the old man could care less. Plus, he really cared for Gray. But if he wanted Gray to feel the same way, he needed to be honest with him.

"I wanted to know how you really felt about me. You usually call me names and fight with me, but when you took me in and started acting nice and stuff, I wasn't sure what you were up to. I didn't know if you actually cared or if you were using me. So I faked losing my memories this morning to figure out if you really cared."

"And what did you find out?"

Natsu looked at him hopefully. "I think you do. But maybe I just imagined it. There's no way you could like me." He jumped when he felt a hand on his chin.

"But I do like you, Natsu. I thought I told you that this morning," Gray replied with a gentle smirk. "I only picked on you and called you names because I wanted your attention on me…and _only_ me. I'm sorry if I hurt you because of it, but I really do care for you, Natsu."

Gray soon found himself with an armful of the pinkette…well, almost. Natsu had thrown his arms around Gray's neck as best as he could in his current condition, and when his arms went around Natsu's waist, the pinkette felt safe at last.

"I'm glad you care. I like you, too," Natsu sniffed. It felt good to be cared for by someone you liked in return.

"Am I interrupting something?"

Both Gray and Natsu jumped away from each other when they heard Lyon announce himself, holding a new tray filled with sandwiches and a few sodas. Lyon walked over to the bed and set the tray down.

"What are we going watch, Gray?" Lyon asked, making himself comfortable on Natsu's left side as he put the tray over the pinkette's lap. Gray got off the bed to put in the movie before settling himself on Natsu's right.

"We are watching _My Fair Lady_." Two sets of eyes widened as they looked at Gray skeptically. "What?"

Lyon frowned. "Why are we watching that?"

"Because Pinky and I have a project to do this break. He'll understand what we need to do after we watch it," answered Gray.

"But it's a musical," Lyon responded slowly, as if trying to make sure his brother understood him.

"I know. It has a lot of value otherwise. There are lessons in phonetics, speaking properly, manners and etiquette, and dressing appropriately."

"But it's a musical," Lyon emphasized.

Gray was starting to get flustered. "Would you just shut up and watch the damn movie!" This response only served to cause a squabble between the two brothers, of which Natsu watched amusedly, but he decided to intervene since the movie was starting.

"Guys, cut it out. Let's just watch the movie and eat the sandwiches before I eat 'em all." Gray and Lyon huffed, miffed because their argument had ended so unsatisfactorily.

But they sat back and watched _My Fair Lady_ while eating sandwiches in peace.

* * *

"I will murder you in your sleep if you plan on doing _any_ of that," Natsu said once the movie was finally over. "Just sticking marbles in someone's mouth to talk right? What the hell is that all about?" He glared at Gray, trying to will away any weird ideas the teen had gotten from this film.

Lyon, on the other hand, had gotten bored about half an hour into the movie and had left the two of them alone.

"I'll tell you what, Pinky. I won't do the marble thing, but I will teach you how to speak a little more appropriately."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that you need to speak without so much foul language."

"Like you're one to talk!" Natsu declared.

"For example, how do you feel about me?"

"Right now, I feel like you're being a fucking bastard because you cuss about as much as me!"

"Okay. Right there. How would you say that without all the vulgarities?"

Natsu stared at Gray blankly. "How the hell should I know?"

Gray sighed. This was going to be harder than he thought. Maybe if he just fed him the words. "All right. I want you to say, 'Gray, I feel like you're being a hypocrite because you use vulgarities, too."

"Do I have to?" Natsu groaned. Gray nodded. "Fine. Gray, I feel like you're being a hypo…hippopotamus because you use vulgars, too."

Perhaps this was going to be a bit harder than he thought. Gray buried his face in his hands and groaned. This was going to take a long time indeed. How the hell was he going to get Natsu to speak appropriately at this rate?

An idea suddenly popped into his head.

* * *

 **End Chapter**


	3. Chapter 3

**My Fair Dragon**

* * *

Disclaimer – I do not own Fairy Tail

* * *

*Rated M for Mature

* * *

Summary: It's the day before Spring Break, and Natsu can't wait for some fun in the sun. But his dreams come crashing down when a school project not only winds up making him stay at the home of his worst enemy, but also his biggest crush—Gray Fullbuster! Modern/AU/High School

* * *

 **Chapter 3 – Sunday (Warning: Abuse/Alcohol)**

"Do I have to do this?" Natsu asked helplessly. He was currently sitting across from Gray in the kitchen, who was holding a stack of premade flashcards with different…phrases on them as far as Natsu could tell.

Apparently the rules of this game were that if he could successfully make it through a flashcard, he could have an M&M…a _single_ M&M. Natsu was a bit angry by this. M&Ms were his favorite candy of all time. How did Gray know that?

"Yes, Pinky. You do," Gray sighed. "In order for me to help you speak appropriately, I need to break everything down into short sentences. We're basically doing mild-mannered insults, which is a lot better than swearing. I figured this would be the easiest way."

Natsu groaned. He really didn't want to do this, but what choice did he have? Well, at least he was getting a reward this time around.

"Fine," he grumbled.

Gray smiled and showed him the first card. "All right. The front of the card gives a situation, which I want you to respond to normally. The back of the card has a more appropriate response. Now, here's the first situation: For the person who stole your lunch from the fridge."

Natsu frowned. How would he normally respond? "Who's the fucker who stole my fucking lunch?"

"Good," said Gray as he turned the card over. "Now read the appropriate response."

Natsu raised an eyebrow. "May the chocolate chips in your cookies always turn out to be raisins."

"It looks like you can have an M&M," Gray smirked.

The pinkette grabbed one and popped it into his mouth while Gray moved onto the next card.

"Here's the situation: For people who stand on the wrong side of the escalator.:

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Gray turned over the card. "May every sock you wear be slightly rotated, just enough for it to be uncomfortable."

"You're doing great, Pinky. Next situation: For that person you just have an irrational hatred for."

"You're a fucking bastard." Natsu was really getting bored. This was pointless. He watched as Gray turned over the card. "May your chair produce a sound similar to a fart, but only once, such that you cannot reproduce it to prove that it was just the chair."

"Good."

"I don't get it," started Natsu. "Fart is an appropriate word?"

"You know, we'll get through it a lot faster if you at least try like you want to do this. I'm actually trying to help you. And besides, if you make it through this, I'll give you an even better treat tomorrow," Gray replied huskily, giving the pinkette a seductive wink.

Natsu tried desperately to hold back his blush, but failed. Well, if that's how Gray wanted to play this game, then he might as well step up to the plate.

Natsu went through several more before leaning back in his seat.

"Very good, Pinky," Gray said approvingly.

"Are we done?" Natsu inquired hopefully. He was really tired of saying weird things. They sounded unnatural.

"Not quite. I suggest you study these responses in order to get your treat tomorrow."

Natsu narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "What kind of treat?"

Natsu just smirked. "You'll just have to wait and see, Pinky. Shall we continue?" Seeing the pinkette nod, he continued. "This time, I want you to come up with appropriate responses on your own. Ready?"

"Bring it."

* * *

"It looks like you did it."

"I guess I did," Natsu said quietly with a small smile on his face.

"I'm proud of you, Pinky."

Natsu beamed.

"But just doing this won't improve your speech. You need to start _thinking_ before you speak. Do you get the idea?"

Looking down at the table, Natsu frowned, slightly disappointed that all his hard work still seemed meaningless. Gray noticed his somber expression.

"Since you did so well today," Gray began, making Natsu's head shoot up, "I'll allow you to give me a nickname."

Natsu's eyes widened as he stared at Gray with a blank look on his face. "Really?"

"Of course," he replied, getting up from his seat at the table. "If you're going to be mine, then I suggest you come up with something _endearing_." As he passed Natsu, he leaned down and gave the pinkette a quick kiss on the forehead. "And you had better study those cards well if you want a special treat tomorrow."

Chuckling, he left Natsu. Oh, what fun he'd have if the pinkette succeeded.

* * *

 **End Chapter**


	4. Chapter 4

**My Fair Dragon**

* * *

Disclaimer – I do not own Fairy Tail

* * *

*Rated M for Mature

* * *

Summary: It's the day before Spring Break, and Natsu can't wait for some fun in the sun. But his dreams come crashing down when a school project not only winds up making him stay at the home of his worst enemy, but also his biggest crush—Gray Fullbuster! Modern/AU/High School

* * *

 **Chapter 4 – Monday (Warning: Abuse/Alcohol)**

"Why are we in…your room?" Natsu asked slowly as he was seated on the bed. Gray joined him soon thereafter, but sat across from him.

"I made more cards for you," Gray smirked mischievously.

"Okay." Natsu wasn't quite sure where Gray was going with this.

"We're going to play a game."

"What… _kind_ of game?"

"Strip Chat," Gray replied bluntly.

"Excuse me?" Natsu exclaimed, blushing furiously. Was he serious? If he was, there was no way in hell he was going to do _any_ form of stripping in front of him.

"I have six cards. If you provide an adequate response, then I will remove a piece of clothing. But if you miss at least one response, I'll put my clothes back on. You won't have to strip at all, Pinky. Though I don't mind if you want to join in."

Natsu blanched. He was at a loss for words. When he finally got his wits about him, his eyes narrowed at the challenge. "You're on!" he declared.

Gray smirked. "Here's the first card. How was your weekend?"

 _Oh, you know. The usual. Got my arm broken and sprained both my ankles._ Sighing, Natsu said, "I had a lot of fun over the weekend. How was yours?"

"Very good, Pinky," said Gray as he slowly removed his black leather boots, dropping them to the floor carelessly. Natsu gulped. "Are you ready for the next one?"

"Yeah…"

"Here's the second card. My cat died yesterday."

 _It probably killed itself because it had to watch you create this Strip Chat game._ "I…I'm sorry to hear that. Is there anything I can do to help?"

Natsu let out a deep breath when Gray started removing his socks next. He'd made it through this round, too.

"The third card. I'm going on holiday tomorrow."

 _Seriously, who gives a shit?_ "Really? I wish I could go on holiday. Where are you going?"

"You're doing awfully well, Pinky. I guess you studied those flashcards thoroughly," said Gray as he removed his jacket.

Natsu internally bounced for joy. If he could at least make it through the next round, he was bound to see something good.

"The fourth card. The traffic was terrible this morning."

Was it him, or were these statements getting more and more annoying. "I know, right? It makes you wonder what happened." _More like, take a different fucking route next time._

Gray smirked. "What do you want me to take off next, Pinky?"

Natsu paled slightly. He wanted _him_ to decide? "Shirt!" he replied…a bit too eagerly, he decided.

"As you wish." Gray inwardly smirked as he watched his Pinky's alert eyes follow his hands as they gradually unbuttoned each and every button. He swore Natsu started drooling when he let the shirt slip from his shoulders and onto the bed. "Are you ready for the next card?"

"Yes," Natsu squeaked out, his eyes trailing over Gray's broad shoulders, muscular torso, and toned abs.

"The fifth card. My cell phone was stolen yesterday."

 _I could really care less._ "That's awful! I hope you find it."

Natsu stifled a groan when Gray began removing his belt. He let it clatter to the floor. When Gray slowly unzipped his pants, the pinkette wanted to run and hide so that he could relieve himself of the bulge growing within his pants. Or at least hide it!

As soon as the pants were gone from Gray's legs, all he wore was a pair of blue silk boxers. And if Natsu made it through the final ard, Gray would remove them!

It finally dawned on Natsu that he could see Gray sitting before him—the hot teen he was madly in love with—naked!

With a fire in his eyes that Gray had never seen before, he picked up the last card. "This is the last card, Pinky. My boyfriend asked me to marry him."

 _Just great_ , Natsu thought as a flare of jealousy coursed through him at the thought of Gray with someone else and…marrying them.

But…should he really do this? If anything, he'd be closer to seeing Gray naked. And he started contemplating. Well, it was now or never. "R…Really? Well, I…I…I don't fucking care," he finished quickly, a little _too_ quickly. He'd chickened out. He wasn't ready for this. Not yet.

"Sorry, Pinky," Gray said honestly as he started putting his clothes back on. Perhaps he'd rushed things a bit. Maybe Natsu wasn't ready for this level of communication.

"Get out," Natsu said quietly, beating himself up inside.

"What?"

"I said…get…out," Natsu ground out. He seemed angry, but it was hard for Gray to determine whether it was at him or himself.

"I'm only trying to help you, Natsu," Gray replied as he got off the bed.

"Well I don't need your fucking help!" Natsu snapped.

Gray balked. He hadn't anticipated this sort of reaction. "Pinky—"

"Just get out! I don't want you here!"

"This is _my_ room!" Gray spat back. Frowning, he glared at Natsu. "You sound like an idiot when you talk the way you do. Do you want people to think you're ignorant? Because you sure as hell act like you are."

"I don't have to speak like you in order for people to take me seriously! Now get out and leave me alone!" he screamed as he collapsed to the bed.

Burying his face in the pillow next to him, he tried to keep his feelings in check. Why did Gray have to go and make him feel worse? All he'd wanted was to be left alone because he'd been disappointed in himself and wanted to brood. But then Gray had to go and insult him…again. Why did he even put up with him?

Gray felt a pang in his chest when he saw Natsu huddled on the bed. He'd hurt him again. Again! Hadn't he done enough?

And now he'd probably just ruined his chances of ever helping Natsu improve his speech. How _could_ he help him? And how could he make Natsu understand that he was only _trying_ to help him? How could he let him know that the current way he spoke would turn customers away or force potential employers to turn him down from a job? How could he convince him that he was trying to give his Pinky a better future?

There had to be a way…right?

* * *

 **End Chapter**


	5. Chapter 5

**My Fair Dragon**

* * *

Disclaimer – I do not own Fairy Tail

* * *

*Rated M for Mature

* * *

Summary: It's the day before Spring Break, and Natsu can't wait for some fun in the sun. But his dreams come crashing down when a school project not only winds up making him stay at the home of his worst enemy, but also his biggest crush—Gray Fullbuster! Modern/AU/High School

* * *

 **Chapter 5 – Tuesday (Warning: Abuse/Alcohol)**

Natsu woke with a start, breathing heavily. He'd just had one hell of a nightmare if his shaking was any indication. "Gray?" he called out fearfully. He needed someone to make the sense of dread go away.

Glancing around the dark room, he noticed that not only was Gray not here—and apparently hadn't been since he'd left him yesterday afternoon, if the unused space beside him was enough of a hint—but that it was early. Very early. Like five in the morning early. And he felt so wired that he wouldn't be able to get back to sleep even if he tried.

Plus, that nightmare had made him start sweating profusely. It didn't feel like he had a fever or anything, so he could rule that out.

But he really did wish _someone_ was here. The fear of being alone became alarmingly strong. He hated being by himself, was terrified of being by himself, and yet here he was…alone…abandoned.

Throwing the sheets off, Natsu tried to push those thoughts from his mind by focusing on something else. Like deciding that he would try moving around by himself today.

Hesitantly placing his feet on the floor, he put all of his weight on them as he stood. When he didn't feel any pain shoot up his legs, he took a few careful steps around the room. Pleased with the fact he could walk by himself, he went toward the window, opening it all the way to let in some cool air.

No such luck.

Today was going to be a _very_ hot day. Natsu could tell that already even though the sun wasn't even up yet. The air felt humid. There wasn't a single breeze. Everything was completely still outside. The leaves didn't even move in the trees; not in the slightest. He couldn't even hear the early chirping of birds.

Natsu guessed it was going to be one of those muggy days where people usually stayed indoors because it was too hot to do anything else. He really hated those kinds of days. He was already soaked with sweat, but he actually didn't know if that was from his nightmare or the impending heat.

Heading toward Gray's dresser, he rummaged around until he found something that might fit him. When he discovered a pair of decent shorts and a light tank that he could wear, he headed for the bathroom to change. Quickly splashing his face with cold water, he took a few deep breaths before taking off his pajamas and putting on the new clothes he'd found. He hoped Gray wouldn't mind; it wasn't like he'd ever seen the guy wear anything like this before anyway.

As he reentered the bedroom, Natsu sighed and contemplated what he should do next. He highly doubted anyone was awake, and he really didn't know where to find Gray. He wanted to apologize for his behavior yesterday, but he was too afraid to face him at the moment.

Wanting to delay his confrontation with Gray for as long as possible, Natsu left the room and gradually made his way downstairs. When he noticed a dim light coming from the living room, he steeled himself for the worst and decided on heading there. Perhaps he could apologize to Gray now before Lyon woke up.

Timidly entering the room, his eyes panned the faintly lit room. When he only spotted Lyon, he just stood there like an idiot.

Lyon raised his head from the manga he'd been reading and noticed Natsu just standing there. "Hey. You're up early."

"I could say the same about you," Natsu began, using _appropriate_ speech.

Lyon looked at him strangely for a moment before breaking out into a smile. "I guess my brother's training has really paid off."

"Hm…have you seen him yet?"

"No, but I don't think he's going out today. I checked the news earlier. We're hitting a heat wave and we're supposed to have rolling blackouts to save money or something, so he probably won't leave. The heat practically kills him."

"Oh…wait. How long have you been up?" Natsu asked suspiciously, raising an eyebrow at him.

Lyon gave him a weak chuckle. "Um, since three. I couldn't sleep. I get restless in this kind of heat," he explained.

"So what have you been doing?" Natsu moved to sit on the couch next to Lyon.

"Reading manga. I'm into the alien invasion kind. So for the past couple hours, I've been reading those."

Natsu glanced over the elaborate artwork on the covers of the manga. They looked amazing.

"What kind of manga do you like?" Lyon asked.

"I've…um…never read any before," Natsu answered meekly. It's not like he'd ever had the extra money to get something like a manga.

Lyon appeared surprised by this. "Really?"

"I never have any money to spare on manga. I remember walking by the stores when I was little, though. I would see the covers in the windows and wish that I could have one. Even if it was just one, I knew that it could be mine. Just…mine."

Lyon's eyes narrowed in confusion until what Natsu was saying dawned on him. "You've never had anything personal, have you? You've never had anything of your own." He couldn't even imagine being in Natsu's position. To not have any personal possessions of _any_ kind astounded him.

Natsu shook his head. "One might think my scarf could be considered mine, but…it was given to me by my dad. And my uncle would never let me have anything." Natsu's tone had taken a dark turn and it scared Lyon a bit.

"Well, you can share my manga with me. Do you want read some?" he inquired eagerly.

His eyes lighting up, Natsu answered, "Really?" Lyon nodded. "Thanks."

So Lyon and Natsu rested on the couch reading manga together in the weakly lit living room as they waited for dawn to approach.

* * *

Two hours later, Lyon and Natsu were slightly freaked out. Apparently reading alien invasion manga that early in the morning, accompanied by the loud popping sound of the power going out, was a bad idea. A very bad idea.

But what really had them shaking like leaves was the fact that the setting in the manga they were currently reading was quite similar to the setting they were in now.

The manga had taken place in early spring—which they were in—and the weather had grown considerably hot—which they were also experiencing. When they'd reached the part of the manga when the power when out, they'd nearly jumped out of their skin when the same happened at the house.

It was then that Lyon and Natsu couldn't quite shake the feeling that they were literally being invaded by aliens. The conditions were just too eerily similar to be dismissed.

"Maybe we should go find Gray," suggested Lyon. He couldn't even get the small battery operated radio he had with the antennas to work. He'd wanted to listen to the news, but all he got was static.

"I haven't seen him since yesterday afternoon," said Natsu, his voice laced with fear. The more he thought about them being invaded by aliens, the more it made sense.

One, the heat wave had come out of virtually nowhere! There hadn't been any predictions of it yesterday.

Two, why the hell was it so quiet outside? It was _still_ quiet and the sun had already risen and was a sweltering eighty-two degrees Fahrenheit. There were no signs of life whatsoever outside.

Three, where the fuck was everyone? Lyon had said that the maid would normally be here by now, but she wasn't. And the house was dissonantly quiet.

Four, nothing worked! The power was out; they couldn't get a signal on anything. They'd tried the radio, Lyon's cell phone, _and_ his laptop. Nothing! No signal anywhere!

And five, where the fuck was Gray? He'd normally be up by now, right? Right?

"Maybe he got abducted by aliens," Natsu blurted.

Lyon's eyes widened. "Don't say that!"

But Natsu just kept on going. "Maybe they took him after he left me in his room yesterday. And they probed him. And did experiments on him. And replaced him with a pod person." Natsu grew even more frantic with everything he said.

Lyon, on the other hand, was desperately trying to keep those sorts of images from his mind. But they still came unbidden to his thoughts. What if his brother _had_ been abducted by aliens? Come to think of it, his brother hadn't even said goodnight to him when he went to bed!

"My little brother's been abducted!" Lyon shouted.

* * *

Gray stepped out of the cold shower he'd just taken and slipped on a pair of shorts and tank top. Just why did it have to be so hot?

Even though the weather was uncomfortably warm, he still wanted to proceed with his plan. Yesterday had been a complete bust. He wanted to help Natsu understand that his normal speech was crippling him, not helping him. And the only way he thought he could make Natsu understand would be to do the one thing he'd never thought he'd do.

He'd act like Natsu for the day.

It would be completely out of his norm, but if that's what it took to make his Pinky understand the nature of his ways, then he would willingly do it.

* * *

Lyon and Natsu paced the floor of the living room while trying to remain calm. The bad thing was…it wasn't working.

"What do we do?" asked Lyon.

"How should I know?" retaliated Natsu. "All of the aliens in those manga can pass off as humans!"

"Wait!" Lyon gasped. "There's a checklist in one of the manga that tells you how to know if someone is an alien!"

"Which one?"

"I don't know."

"Let's look for it then!"

The both of them bolted for the manga and searched frantically through them for the checklist.

"Morning guys."

They both froze. That had sounded a lot like Gray's voice, but not Gray's voice. He didn't talk like that. He _never_ talked like that.

Lyon and Natsu slowly turned around, their jaws dropping. Gray was dressed in a loose white tank top, ripped looking shorts, and his hair looked like it was a complete mess. This was not the person Lyon knew as his younger brother, which left him with only one solution.

His brother had been replaced by an alien!

Natsu had come to a similar conclusion. Although he hadn't known Gray as long as Lyon had—obviously—he could tell something was off. Something was seriously off.

"You guys had breakfast yet? I'm starved," the alien-Gray asked.

Natsu and Lyon shook their heads mutely.

"Geez, you could at least answer a guy, you know? Did you get up on the wrong side of the fucking bed or what?" said alien-Gray. "Whatever. I'll go and make us something then, okay?"

They nodded and watched Gray leave the room, perhaps heading toward the kitchen. When he was gone, they both freaked.

"My brother's been replaced by an alien!" Lyon hissed, yanking on his hair.

"Wait. We don't know that for sure. Just look at the checklist!"

Lyon grabbed the manga he'd found the checklist in and opened it to the correct page.

"What does it say?" inquired Natsu uneasily.

"There are ten ways to know if someone's been replaced by an alien."

"Okay. So…the first one?"

"It says that aliens dress in oddly revealing clothes. They find that clothing irritates their flesh, so the less they wear, the more comfortable they are. They also like to keep their fake human skin exposed to the air to allow it to breathe." Lyon gulped. "And it says that they must never expose their flesh…that it has to remain pale because the sun burns their skin."

Natsu and Lyon stared in the direction of where the alien-Gray had gone and gaped. He _had_ come into the living room dressed in 'revealing clothes,' at least different from his normal clothes anyway. And they had to admit, he _was_ awfully pale.

"What's the next one say?" Natsu asked hurriedly. Maybe they were just jumping to conclusions.

"Um…the next one says that aliens have cold and clammy skin. Many aliens wear synthetic skin in order to look human. The skin is never as warm as real skin and feels slimy to the touch." Lyon looked at Natsu. "That means one of us has to touch him."

"You do it. He's your brother!"

"Well, he likes you! And he probably won't mind being touched on his _bare_ skin by you!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Ah ha! You have to touch him!" Natsu proclaimed, doing a little victory dance.

Lyon groaned as he mulled over how he'd been tricked. How had Natsu become so manipulative?

The pinkette snatched the manga from Lyon's hands and placed it in the back pocket of his shorts before he grabbed the guy and dragged him out of the living room and toward the kitchen. Before Lyon could protest, he was ungraciously shoved into the kitchen…where his alien-brother stood making breakfast.

"Lyon?" the alien-Gray questioned, eyeing him strangely.

"Hi!" the older boy responded before latching onto his alien-brother, hugging him. When he pulled away, he let his hands graze the alien-Gray's pale arms. Lyon paled himself when he felt they were cold and clammy, and dare he say it, slimy.

"What—"

"Later!" he exclaimed as he ran from the kitchen.

"Well?" Natsu asked a panting Lyon.

He grabbed the pinkette's arms, shaking uncontrollably. "He's cold…and clammy…and slimy…"

"Maybe…he just got out of the shower. Yeah! That's it! He got out of the shower!"

"Give me the manga," Lyon cried before snatching it away from the pinkette. "The next thing says that aliens have strange diets and that they can't digest most human foot. They're limited to what types of foods they can eat and most are vegetarians. Melons happen to be a favorite of aliens."

"Breakfast's ready!" called the alien-Gray.

Lyon and Natsu gulped and headed for the kitchen. As they sat down near the table, Gray placed down several bowls of sliced fruit. One bowl just so happened to contain…melon. Cantaloupe, to be exact.

"Since the fucking power is out, this is all you fricking get. Enjoy," stated the alien-Gray, walking away with the bowl of cantaloupe in hand, eating some as he left the kitchen.

"This is…all just a coincidence, right? Right?" Natsu begged Lyon.

"I-I don't know. The first three signs all fit."

"Well, we have seven more to go. Do you think this stuff is poisoned?" Natsu said, indicating the fruit.

At this, they both lost their appetite. "Let's…just move onto the next one."

"Okay. So what does it say?"

Lyon frowned at the manga. "It says that aliens smell. They use different perfumes, lotions, and deodorants to disguise their natural scent which can be offensive to most humans." He narrowed his eyes at Natsu. "I already touched him! It's your turn! Go sniff him!" he ordered.

Natsu balked. "Sniff him?" he squeaked. "Are you fucking kidding me? I'm not going to sniff him! Can't I do a different one?"

Lyon looked back down at the manga. "The next one says that aliens wear huge sunglasses to hide their eyes because they have large, staring eyes that are hard to conceal. Sunglasses make them seem normal."

"But we already saw him this morning and he wasn't wearing any," Natsu argued. "What about the next one?"

Lyon groaned. These weren't getting any easier. "This next one says that aliens have strange bodily proportions. Apparently the newest breeds of aliens try to imitate human appearance, but they don't do it right. They're like exaggerated ideas of human perfection. And their stomachs are too flat, their chests are too big, and their faces are wrinkle free. Natsu, either way, you're going to have to get close to him."

Natsu whimpered. He didn't want to be near the alien-Gray. "Let's go find him then."

They left the kitchen in search of the alien-Gray, and when they did find him, Lyon nearly had to hurt Natsu in order to get him to approach him.

That's how the pinkette ended up on the outdoor patio, the locked sliding glass door separating him from Lyon, but keeping him within reach of the alien-Gray, who was currently laying on a lawn chair in the shade.

"Go," Lyon mouthed through the glass. "I'll let you in after you check."

"I hate you, fucker," Natsu mouthed back, but he turned and faced the alien-Gray. Upon further inspection, it looked like he had fallen asleep. But upon even closer inspection, he found that his world was being turned upside down.

The alien-Gray was wearing sunglasses! Hadn't Lyon said something about sunglasses? And what was that smell?

Natsu moved closer to the snoozing alien-Gray. The scent grew stronger. It smelled like…sun block or something. Hadn't Lyon said that aliens masked their scent with lotions? Well, sun block was definitely a lotion.

Swallowing hard, Natsu looked up and down the alien-Gray's body. Flat stomach? Check. Big chest? Check.

The pinkette stepped even closer.

Wrinkle free face? Che—

Natsu sprinted for the door. "Letmein, letmein, letmein," he said hurriedly, clawing at the locked door like a caged animal.

"What?" Lyon mouthed.

"Let…me…in!" Natsu said loudly, causing the alien-Gray to stir slightly.

Lyon fumbled with the lock. As soon as Natsu heard the _click_ , he was inside and down the hall before you could say, 'Fairy Tail Academy.' Lyon raced after him. When they reached the safety of the living room, they hid behind the couch.

"Well?"

"Sunglasses. Lotion. No wrinkles!" Natsu gasped out.

"This isn't real, is it? This can't be real," Lyon exclaimed.

"He's fit six things off that damn checklist so far," Natsu growled. "It sure as hell seems real to me."

"Maybe it's a coincidence, like you mentioned earlier," Lyon stated.

"Then what does the next thing say?"

"It says aliens are obsessed with technology. They spend hours talking on cell phones and sending emails. They're not talking to people; they're actually transmitting data they've accumulated back to their home worlds."

They both grew silent. Gray did that sort of stuff all the time. So if that were true—

"How long has your brother been an alien?" natsu screamed. "I almost saw him naked! What if he tried to have sex with me? What about all those slimy alien tentacle things rubbing and stroking and probing and—"

"Shut up!" Lyon screeched, covering his ears tightly with his eyes shut as he tried to banish those thoughts from his mind. Natsu's overactive imagination was getting to him.

But…his brother had spent a lot of time with technology. He was always on his laptop, never left his cell phone behind…

Natsu snatched the manga from Lyon. There was no way in hell all this could be true! There had to be at least _something_ here that would prove that he wasn't an alien.

"The next one says that aliens dance in inhuman ways," Natsu began. That actually made him feel better. "Most alien species have completely different physiology than humans. They have the ability to move their bodies to music in ways no ordinary human can. This results in a dancing style that is quite breathtaking."

Lyon and Natsu started laughing. There was no way he would get caught dancing. The Gray they knew would _never_ dance. Not in a million—

"Where's that music coming from?" asked Lyon suddenly.

Natsu started to hyperventilate.

They got to their feet and followed the sound of music. When they reached their destination, they almost fell over in shock.

* * *

Gray stood in his nearly empty work-out room. He was currently listening to the pan flute music he normally played when he practiced Tai Chi. He really needed it today. The stress from the heat was getting to him.

He was grateful that he'd charged his phone before the power had gone out, and with the attachable speakers he'd connected to it, he'd be able to relax.

Gray couldn't wait until later, though. He intended to go all out in acting like his Pinky.

* * *

Natsu just kept staring at Gray's weird form of dancing.

"He really is an alien," Lyon deadpanned.

"What's the next one say?"

Lyon's hands started shaking as he took the manga from Natsu's taut fingers. "It says that aliens do not understand humans' sense of humor. They find it difficult to understand laughter. Even a simple knock-knock joke can throw them completely off. Aliens might laugh at inappropriate times, like during a funeral, or stare blankly at the funniest jokes."

"Okay. I can do this. I know a funny joke," Natsu said, determination clearly evident in his voice.

Before Lyon could stop him, Natsu was already in the room, so he just hung in the doorway as a means of escape if it came to that.

"Gray!" Natsu called, halting the alien-Gray's movements. He turned to face him. "How do you catch a strange rabbit?"

The alien-Gray raised an eyebrow and remained silent.

"Unique up on it."

No reaction. Absolutely no reaction. He just stared blankly at him. It _was_ a funny joke, right? Right?

Natsu took a few steps back until he reached Lyon. "What's the last one say?" he managed to squeak out.

"The last one says that by now, the aliens will know that you know far too much and will now abduct you."

It took a while before it sank in, but when it did—

"RUN!" Natsu screamed, but he was too late. Lyon had slammed the door in his face and bolted down the hallway, leaving him alone with the alien-Gray!

Natsu spun around and pressed himself as far as he could against the door as he watched the alien-Gray approach him. When he was no more than two feet away from him, Natsu dropped to the floor and curled up into a ball.

"Don't probe me!" the pinkette wailed.

* * *

Gray laughed once more. "I still can't believe you two thought I was an alien!" he sputtered.

Natsu and Lyon looked around the living room sheepishly, thoroughly embarrassed by their earlier behavior.

After 'the alien-Gray had heard the entire story and proved he wasn't an alien—and when the power had kicked back on and they'd seen the news, which proved they weren't really being invaded by aliens—'the real Gray' had laughed nonstop for the better part of an hour.

Gray leaned back on the couch as he let his chuckles subside and glanced over at the clock. Was it that late already?

"All right. I think it's time we all went to bed," he said.

"I can't argue with you there. See you in the morning, Gray. Natsu." Lyon got up from the couch and headed up the stairs.

When Gray heard his brother's door shut, he stood up and picked up an unsuspecting Natsu in his arms.

"What are you doing?" Natsu exclaimed, shocked by the fact that Gray was carrying him even though he could walk.

"What's it look like, Pinky? I'm abducting you," Gray chuckled again.

"Will you cut it out already," Natsu snapped as he tried to get Gray to let him go.

"Sorry. Come on," he replied as he headed up the stairs with Natsu in his arms. Like the pinkette had a choice.

When they reached his room, Gray shut his door with his foot and set Natsu on the bed. Then he started pacing the floor. This started making Natsu nervous. "Did you want to talk to me about something, Gray?"

Gray halted in his steps and smiled softly when he heard Natsu speaking to him without all the vulgarities. "I'm sorry for hurting your feelings yesterday. I just…sometimes I get mad and lash out when I lose my patience. It was my intention to help you, not hurt you. I should have given you your space when you asked for it. For that, I'm sorry."

"I've already forgiven you for that," Natsu stated softly, avoiding gray's eyes. "I know you were only trying to help me. I shouldn't have yelled at you. I'm sorry, too."

At this, Gray sat on the bed. "And…I'm sorry for making you play Strip Chat."

It was Natsu's turn to chuckle. "You didn't make me play anything. It was…kind of fun. It's too bad I didn't win, though."

"Maybe it's a good thing you didn't win," Gray said seriously.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean…maybe I was rushing things. I think I'm going too fast and you're not ready. You're just now recovering from your injuries, you've had a tough home life for who knows how long, and you probably have lots of trust issues and—"

"Gray," Natsu interrupted, looking distant. The teen silence himself. "Out of everyone I've ever met—Erza, Lucy, Lisanna, everyone—I've never fully trusted anyone…not even my si…never mind. But with you, I feel like you're the only one I can trust. Why is it that I only feel safe when I'm around you?"

This time, Natsu looked Gray in the eyes, and he could see passion burning there.

"Why?" Gray echoed. Natsu nodded. Gray didn't have an answer for him. "I don't know, Pinky. I really wish I did, but I don't. I do know that I can confirm what you've said. You _can_ feel safe around me. You can trust me, because I want to keep you safe…and happy."

Natsu laughed and kissed Gray on the forehead. "Thanks. Now let's get some sleep," he said as he moved to get under the covers. "You're staying with me, right?" he asked nervously.

"If you don't want me to, I'll leave," Gray answered unsurely.

"Please stay," Natsu replied softly. "I don't want to wake up alone again."

Realization hit Gray. "You had a nightmare, didn't you?"

Natsu bent his head down in shame.

Guilt gnawed at Gray. Because he'd been so mad at himself, he'd left Natsu all alone, which more than likely had induced a nightmare. Of what, he had no idea. And when he'd woken up, no one had been there. His Pinky had probably felt abandoned or something of the sort. Just how long had natsu felt like that throughout his life?

"Don't worry. I'll stay with you," said Gray as he helped Natsu crawl under the covers. He soon followed. "And I promise I won't let anyone else hurt you again. I will always be here for you."

Kissing Natsu on the forehead, they both settled down for a well-deserved rest.

* * *

 **End Chapter**


	6. Chapter 6

**My Fair Dragon**

* * *

Disclaimer – I do not own Fairy Tail

* * *

*Rated M for Mature

* * *

Summary: It's the day before Spring Break, and Natsu can't wait for some fun in the sun. But his dreams come crashing down when a school project not only winds up making him stay at the home of his worst enemy, but also his biggest crush—Gray Fullbuster! Modern/AU/High School

* * *

 **Chapter 6 – Wednesday (Warning: Abuse/Alcohol)**

Natsu sat at the breakfast table with Gray and Lyon, happily devouring a bowl of cereal. The weather was still hot, but not quite as scorching as yesterday. He was glad, because sweating when you had a cast on was really irritating. Hopefully today would be much better.

"Can I play with your hair?" Gray asked suddenly, his blue eyes fixating on Natsu's mess of pink hair.

The pinkette's spoon clattered to the table, his jaw dropping in shock, but it was Lyon's reaction that was priceless.

Lyon had promptly spit his cereal from his mouth, spraying the partially chewed contents in every direction as he choked and gasped for air. "What?" the poor guy screamed.

Gray appeared unfazed by his brother's reaction—like it always happened or something—and continued staring at Natsu.

Coming to his senses, the pinkette made the best and most eloquent response he could muster considering the degree of the question. "Huh?"

"I want to play with your hair," Gray reiterated, his expression grave.

"Why?" Natsu asked, shrinking away from Gray and further into his seat.

"Because…it's so long and messy and untamed. It's wild. This can be an additional part of our project. I said I was going to aid you in making you presentable," Gray explained.

Natsu gulped. "And…just what did you have in mind?" he responded slowly.

"I'll just trim it a little to get rid of the split ends and style it some." Then he turned his eyes toward Lyon, opening his mouth as if preparing to speak.

"No! You are not touching a single hair on my head!" yelled Lyon, jumping from his seat. "We've been down that road before! Never again!"

Gray frowned. "But—"

"No way! Play with Natsu all you want! I'll even help you, but you're not going to touch my hair!"

Natsu blanched and glared at Lyon. How dare that bastard turn on him! "What the hell? You're taking his side?"

"It's better his side than yours at the moment!" Lyon argued.

"Not if I have anything to say about it," grumbled Gray, rising from his seat. "When I'm finished with Natsu, you're next."

Lyon's eyes widened fearfully at his younger brother's proclamation. And reacting like some ninja, he bolted from the room and was out the door in a mere two seconds.

Natsu took the chance to bolt right after him, only to come in contact with _another_ lockeddoor. _Damn him_ , the pinkette thought frantically. It was then he decided that he'd take every fucking doorknob off in this stupid place and throw them fucking ocean. Lyon wouldn't be able to trap him with Gray like this again.

"Oh, Pinky," Gray called from behind him.

Turning around, Natsu gave him a sheepish grin. "Hey…um, about this hair thing…maybe another time?" he offered hopefully.

With the look Gray gave him, he knew that hope was not on his side.

* * *

Lyon arrived home later that evening. After Gray had made threats about messing with his hair, he'd found it to be in his best interest to leave and not come back until now. He just hoped the worst was behind him.

Cautiously making his way into the foyer, he wandered around aimlessly. All was quiet. Eerily quiet. It was so quiet he could hear his heartbeat echoing in the empty hall.

Gradually, he made his way upstairs, paused, and listened. Nothing. It was so quiet. Why was it so quiet?

"Boo."

Lyon practically leapt out of his skin as he spun around, ready to face his attacker. "Gray?"

"Evening, Lyon. Did you have a nice day out?" his brother inquired calmly.

"Yeah. Um, where's Natsu?"

Smirking, Gray led him to his bedroom and opened the door. Lyon peeked inside and noticed that Natsu was sitting on the bed, his hands clutched to his barely shortened hair. It looked like he was pulling on it—like if he did so, it would grow faster.

"Natsu?"

The pinkette's head shot up at the sound of Lyon's voice. His eyes narrowed, and a tedious glare crossed his features. "You left me!" he spat.

Lyon took a hesitant step back, bumping into his brother in the process. "I'm sorry, Natsu. I just didn't want _anyone_ messing with my hair. I don't like it. So I ran."

"And left me with _him_!" Natsu exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at the both of them.

"Pinky, it wasn't that bad, was it?" Gray asked casually.

"That bad? That _bad_? You assaulted me!"

"I did not assault you!"

"You fucking tied me to the damn sink!" Natsu screeched.

"I only did that because you wouldn't stop squirming! How else was I supposed to shampoo and condition your hair?"

"I could have done it!"

"Not as well as I could have!"

"How do you know?"

"The condition of your hair, for starters!"

"You're a fucking bastard, you know that?"

"Well, you're a—"

"Enough!" roared Lyon. "Listening to you two argue is worse than a pair of cats fighting."

Both Gray and Natsu shut their mouths and crossed their arms defiantly.

After sensing they'd calmed some, Lyon said, "There's one thing I don't get though. Natsu, if you didn't even want Gray to wash your hair, why'd you let him cut it?"

"I didn't," Natsu ground out through his teeth as he got off the bed.

As he made his way closer to Lyon, he fully notice change in Natsu's hair. It was no longer a mess of pink locks. It had been trimmed, but slithly. His hair was now shiny. In his opinion, Gray had done a fairly good job.

"So how—" Lyon began, but Natsu cut him off.

"Your fucking brother duct taped me to a damn chair. I couldn't move! At all!" Natsu raged.

Lyon fought rolling his eyes. Of course, his brother _would_ go to such lengths to get what he wanted. In hopes that he could appease his pink-headed friend, he said, "It looks really nice, Natsu. You look really good."

That did the trick.

Natsu's face no longer held anger, but embarrassment. Blushing brightly at the comment, Natsu sat back down on the bed, took a blanket, and wrapped it around—what he felt was—his exposed head.

Gray sighed as he looked at his rocking Pinky. Gracefully moving toward Natsu, Gray knelt in front of him and grabbed his arms to stop him from moving. Pulling the blanket off, he gazed into Natsu's timid eyes.

"You do look good, Natsu. And I'm sorry I went through such measures to cut your hair, but I swear to you my intentions were good." When he received no response, he continued. "And to make it up to you, I'll take you on a little shopping spree. I'll let the maid know you're having the bedroom next to mine, have her clear it out, and you can decorate it any way you wish. We can even get you some knew furniture if you'd like. We'll get you some new clothes and anything else you might need or want, okay?"

"Do I get to come, too?" Lyon asked excitedly. At Gray's nod, he bolted from the room, saying that he was going to tell the maid to start clearing out the room.

"What do you say, Pinky?"

"I don't want you to buy me things as a way to apologize," Natsu answered softly.

Gray sighed. "Then what do you want me to do?" he asked helplessly.

"I want you to ask me to forgive you," the pinkette stated seriously.

Gray thought it was an odd request, but he gave in. "Do you forgive me, Natsu?"

Gray was pleasantly surprised when he felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist and a pink head rest on his shoulder. "I forgive you," came the barely audible whisper.

Returning the hug, Gray smiled gently when he felt Natsu tighten his grip. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

They wished they could stay like this forever.

* * *

 **End Chapter**


	7. Chapter 7

**My Fair Dragon**

* * *

Disclaimer – I do not own Fairy Tail

* * *

*Rated M for Mature

* * *

Summary: It's the day before Spring Break, and Natsu can't wait for some fun in the sun. But his dreams come crashing down when a school project not only winds up making him stay at the home of his worst enemy, but also his biggest crush—Gray Fullbuster! Modern/AU/High School

* * *

 **Chapter 7 – Thursday (Warning: Abuse/Alcohol)**

Natsu still wasn't sure what to expect today as he got ready in Gray's bathroom for their day out at the mall. Lyon would also be coming along. As if it weren't bad enough that Gray was giving him a make-over, that bastard traitor had to be there, too.

Smoothing out his hair, Natsu stared at himself in the mirror. It amazed him how something as simple as a little haircut could make him look so different. He almost didn't even recognize himself.

A knock soon interrupted his thoughts.

"Come in," Natsu said, still observing himself in the mirror.

"Hey, Pinky. I just wanted to say that you should probably shave, too," announced Gray from the doorway.

Natsu stared at Gray from the reflection in the mirror, his eyebrows shooting up into his hairline. Spinning around, he exclaimed, "Shave? What do you mean by shave?" Knowing Gray, this would not be good for him.

The familiar, devilish smirk crossed Gray's features as he eyed Natsu's figure up and down. "You know, the usual places. Your _legs_ especially."

Natsu gulped as he backed himself into the sink while Gray gradually approached him. "And why would I do that?"

"Because I want you to be all silky smooth when you slip into the new clothes I have planned out for you. Okay, Pinky?"

Said Pinky nodded mutely, and when Gray finally left the bathroom, the pinkette let out a huge sigh of relief. Thank goodness Gray hadn't decided to stay and _watch_ him shave, because, to be honest, he didn't want him to find out that he already…shaved.

Natsu swore he wouldn't like the look on Gray's face if he discovered that tiny bit of information. He could say goodbye to his innocence, that's for sure.

But then a new thought crossed his mind.

Just what the hell was he trying on that he needed to shave for? This was not a good sign.

* * *

Magnolia Mall. Originally, Natsu had thought he'd loved this place, but after seeing a very weird look in Gray's eyes—and not to mention the packet of tissues Gray thought he had cleverly hidden in his coat—Natsu now discovered that he hated it.

As he, Gray, and Lyon entered the mall, what Natsu saw as the beginning of a nightmare now turned into a full blown horror flick.

"Lyon, I don't want to see you until later, okay? Have fun," said Gray spontaneously.

Lyon didn't have to hear that twice. He skipped—er, ran—down the mall into regions unknown.

"Why'd you send him away?" asked Natsu, a whole new wave of nervousness hitting him.

Gray placed an arm around the pinkette's waist, leading him into a quite fashionable clothing store. "Because I want to spend some time _alone_ with my Pinky," he answered.

Blushing furiously at the comment, Natsu kept his eyes to the floor.

"What's the matter, Pinky?" inquired Gray, concern lacing his voice. He did not like it when Natsu got all quiet and distant. In fact, he despised it.

"Why are you doing this? Really?" questioned Natsu, his eyes boring holes into Gray's.

"I thought I told you already. I really like you."

"Prove it."

Prove it? His Pinky wanted him to prove it? Here?

Natsu inwardly smiled when he noticed a light blush staining Gray's cheeks. Well, that was enough proof for him right now, but then again, whatever inappropriate thoughts Gray was now having might not be a good idea.

"So, what did you want me to try on?" Natsu's voice seemed to break through Gray's obvious daydream.

Smirking, Gray pushed him into the clothing store.

And left him there.

Just where the hell did he disappear to? But a few minutes later, Gray returned and quickly ushered him into a fitting room.

"What the—" Natsu cut himself off when he saw what Gray had laid out for him. "No! Absolutely not! I am not putting that on!" he screamed, pounding on the door.

"Yes you are," Gray said from the other side of the door. "Otherwise I'll come in there and make you."

Glaring furiously at the door, Natsu whipped his head around and heatedly approached the clothes. "Fuck."

"I heard that."

Discarding his shoes, the pinkette pulled off his pants and grabbed the…black leather pants. _Tight_ black leather pants. It was official. Natsu would kill him.

After a few minutes of struggling with the pants, he understood why Gray had said to shave. But as he got the pants past his thighs, he realized that these pants would _not_ work with his boxers.

"Gray? These pants aren't going to work."

"Why not?"

"My boxers are in the way," replied Natsu, fidgeting.

"Then take them off."

Natsu's eyes widened as he stared at the door. It was almost as if he could feel Gray's eyes on him, but that was impossible, right? Right?

"But—"

"Just take off your boxers and put the pants back on. I promise you, no one's looking. And if anyone does, I'll kill them."

At this point, Gray actually believed he would, if that possessive tone was any indication.

Taking the pants back off, he removed his boxers, blushing all the while, and pulled the pants back on. They fit _much_ better this time. And when he looked in the mirror, he took note that the pants fit him almost too perfectly. If he didn't know any better, he would have said that Gray specifically picked out these pants so that he could gawk at his ass.

"Stupid bastard," Natsu muttered under his breath as he took off his shirt.

"What was that?"

"Nothing!"

Next, natsu picked up the shirt. Out of anything Gray could have picked, he had chosen a blue silk shirt. It was…beautiful. And to wear something that matched Gray's eyes made his heart flutter.

Smiling, Natsu slipped on the shirt and buttoned it. The silk felt great against his skin, although the shirt was a bit snug. It hugged his body like a second skin.

Admiring himself for a moment or two, Natsu then put on the black boots Gray had left for him. When that was done, he felt ready to come out.

Or so he hoped. He wasn't quite sure what Gray would do once he stepped through that door. Perhaps he would be safer inside the fitting room.

"Are you finished, Pinky?"

"Um…yeah, I'm done. Do you want me to come out now?"

"No, I'll come in," Gray said quickly, opening the door just as suddenly as he stepped inside.

They stared at each other for a minute in complete silence…then Gray shut the door. Natsu started freaking out at that point.

"What are you doing?" Natsu asked frantically when Gray reached him. He flipped out even more when Gray took his hands gently in his.

"You look very beautiful, Pinky," he said seriously. "Very beautiful."

The blush was back full force now. Natsu could swear his face was on fire. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. Do you like your outfit?" Gray asked hesitantly.

"I…guess. I really like the shirt."

"I already paid for it, so you can leave with it on. I picked out other things for you already. Different colors and such. I know your sizes, so I picked out everything you might need. And comfort clothes. Because I know you won't want to wear stuff like this all the time," Gray said hurriedly.

Natsu wasn't sure what to make of 'unsure-Gray.' It was kind of cute, though, hearing Gray ramble like that.

"Has anyone ever told you you're sweet?" Natsu asked innocently.

Now Gray was the one blushing. "No!" he sputtered.

"Well, you are." And Natsu stood on his tiptoes and planted a light kiss on Gray's nose. "And I'm sure everything you've picked out will be fine," he continued, taking Gray's hand and leading him out of the fitting room.

Tightening his grip on Natsu's hand, they walked out of the store. "I took the liberty of paying for everything else already, so it's already been sent…home."

Home. The word echoed in Natsu's mind. Gray's house was…his home?

"Hey. We can pick out things for your new room now," Gray offered when Natsu got quiet again.

The pinkette shook his head. "I don't want my own room."

Well, this was new. "Why, Pinky?"

"I…don't want to be alone."

"But you're not alone. My room is right next to yours," Gray explained.

"That's not what I mean," Natsu replied, shaking his head again.

Thinking this might take a bit more explaining, he headed for a bench near the fountain in the center of the mall. After they sat down, he continued.

"I don't like waking up alone, especially after I've…"

"After you've what?"

"After I've had a nightmare. I felt like I was going to have a panic attack when I woke up the other morning and you weren't there," Natsu finished quietly. He was afraid of what Gray might say. Would he push him away and call him needy?

Gray didn't realize how much Natsu's past affected him until that moment. There was a lot still going on inside his Pinky's head, and apparently he would need to talk about it in order for him to move on.

Taking Natsu's hand in his, he stroked it reassuringly. "Then you can stay in my room for as long as you like. We'll just take things one step at a time. And Pinky, I want you to know that you can talk to me about anything. I don't want to see you hurt anymore. I care about you too much for that."

It seemed like the mood between then shifted from gloomy to…loving. Natsu inhaled sharply when Gray leaned across the table, his lips mere inches from his own. Their breaths mingled and they could feel the pounding of each other's hearts.

This was it. Their first _real_ kiss. All Natsu had to do was lean in and—

"Gray?"

They broke away from each other when they heard a familiar combination of voices thrown their way. Looking in the direction of the sound, Natsu paled slightly when he saw some of his friends: Lucy, Loke, Rogue, Sting, and Levy.

Rising from his seat, with Gray following closely behind, they watched as the others gawked at them.

"Gray? Are you… _dating_ someone?" Loke asked suddenly.

Natsu's brows knitted in confusion.

Lucy elbowed Loke in the stomach, trying to clarify what Loke meant. "What he means to say is…who's your friend?"

"My…friend?" Gray echoed slowly.

"Yes, who is he? I don't think I've seen him before," added Rogue.

"Definitely. I think I'd remember a hunk—I mean, a guy like that," stated Levy sheepishly.

"He's…not my friend," Gray started slowly, eyeing them suspiciously.

Natsu felt his heart plummet at this.

"Then I suppose you don't mind if I keep him company for a bit," said Sting, walking up to Natsu. "What do you say?"

Natsu found himself gaping like a fish. Sting was coming onto him. And his friends didn't recognize him? Wow, Gray really did a good job at this whole make-over thing.

"Leave him alone, Sting," said Rogue. Natsu praised Rogue for his interference. "He's probably a waste of everyone's time anyway."

That was the last thing Gray needed to hear. When he saw the pained expression on Natsu's face, he saw red.

Gray practically threw Sting away from Natsu, knocking him into Rogue. When it looked like Gray was going to do more, Natsu placed his hands on his chest to stop him.

"What happened to your wrist?" Lucy gasped, worry for the imminent beating of her friends shifting to the pinkette before her.

"He broke it," Gray ground out, his anger subsiding as he took Natsu's casted wrist in hand. "And I suggest you leave the both of us alone."

"And why is that?" inquired Stine. "You said he wasn't your friend."

Gray glared at them, but then smirked. "No, he's my boyfriend. Now get lost."

They bolted for the other end of the mall after witnessing Gray's scariest glare ever, leaving him and Natsu in peace.

"Are you all right, Pinky?"

"Yeah, it's just…I didn't know they could be like that," answered Natsu, reflecting on the attitudes his friends had shown. Did they really despise Gray that much that they would use any opportunity they had to insult him and the people he associated himself with?

"Did you mean it? When you called me your boyfriend, did you mean it?" Natsu asked hopefully.

"I mean it, Natsu, but only if you want to be my boyfriend. It's not like I asked you or anything," replied Gray.

"I'd really like that, Gray," Natsu stated happily as he hugged the smiling teen. "Can we go home now?"

"Sure." Gray was glad for the suggestion. He really wanted some alone time with his boyfriend, preferably in private.

As they headed out of the mall, Natsu was suddenly jolted back into its direction. "What're you—"

"Lyon. I forgot about Lyon."

* * *

 **End Chapter**


	8. Chapter 8

**My Fair Dragon**

* * *

Disclaimer – I do not own Fairy Tail

* * *

*Rated M for Mature

* * *

Summary: It's the day before Spring Break, and Natsu can't wait for some fun in the sun. But his dreams come crashing down when a school project not only winds up making him stay at the home of his worst enemy, but also his biggest crush—Gray Fullbuster! Modern/AU/High School

* * *

 **Chapter 8 – Friday (Warning: Abuse/Alcohol)**

Gray stared down at the sleeping form of Natsu. It was early morning, much too early, in fact, to wake the tired pinkette. But, it wasn't like they were currently on the best of terms either. At least now, anyway.

All Gray had wanted was to spend some time alone with his new boyfriend—in private! Was that too much to ask? Apparently it was.

After they'd found Lyon, and his older brother had gotten over his laughing fit after seeing Natsu and hearing what had happened with Natsu's friends, they'd returned home.

Then the pinkette had gotten distracted… _very_ distracted. All of the clothes and things he'd bought for him had arrived at the house, so Natsu had been too busy to spend any time with him at all. He'd been too excited to see what he'd gotten.

But that was when things got a bit weird. Natsu was thrilled by receiving so many new clothes, but when he saw that Gray had bought him…more personal items—like boxers—he'd been a bit embarrassed; albeit an understatement.

Natsu had gracefully declined receiving such intimate gifts, saying that he'd rather pick those sorts of things out himself. Other than that, he was pleased that Gray had been so thoughtful in picking out his clothes; he'd purchased formal as well as casual wear.

Soon after Natsu had made this statement, he'd encountered another pair of boxers, but these were far from thoughtful in his opinion. Although Gray had only meant them as a joke, Natsu had taken it quite seriously—a bit too seriously, which then led to angering his boyfriend to the point of him wanting nothing to do with him.

Gray felt like he couldn't win. But he'd be damned if he didn't get to spend any quality time with him. Perhaps, in an attempt to get to know Natsu better, he'd ask him what he'd like to do today, and it would just be the two of them. And maybe, just maybe, he could find the right time to actually kiss him. On the lips and everything.

Yes. Gray liked that idea _very_ much.

Natsu suddenly turned onto his side. His boyfriend was now facing him, looking absolutely adorable with his cute, pouting lips that were just begging to be ravaged. Oh, how tempting it was. Gray felt the urge to claim those succulent lips as his own, to make them his, to let everyone know that Natsu was his…and his alone.

Gray leaned in closer to Natsu, his lips barely an inch away from him. It would be so easy to initiate the kiss. Too easy. But if he did so, what would Natsu's reaction be? He _did_ want to kiss him, too, didn't he?

Natsu sighed, opening his eyes, and—

"Fuck!" the pinkette yelped, pushing Gray away from him. His heart pounding, he stared incredulously at the startled teen. Why the hell had he been so close? "What the fuck were you doing?"

"Nothing," Gray stuttered in response. "Just thinking."

"About what?" What could Gray have been so lost in thought about that it would make him be so close t—

Gray barely had time to duck when Natsu launched a pillow at him.

"What was that for?!" exclaimed the teen.

"What did you do to me? Did you do something? Did you kiss me? I swear, if you stole my first kiss while I was sleeping, I'll—" Natsu clasped his hands over his mouth, realizing what he'd just let slip. Gray was going to think him a prude or something, make fun of him, laugh—

LOOK AT HIM WITH LUST FILLED EYES?!

"Stay away from me," Natsu warned as he backed away from the lusting teen.

"And why should I do that?" Gray smirked, crawling closer to the nervous pinkette. Then he pounced, pinning his boyfriend beneath him on the bed. "Come on, Pinky. Tell me why I should stay away from you."

Natsu struggled to come up with an answer. And when he thought of one, he inwardly smirked. "Because I haven't forgiven you for what you did yesterday," he replied seriously.

All play and mischief left Gray's face, only to be replaced by a pallid expression. "I said I was sorry, Natsu. I meant it as a joke."

"Well, I'm sorry if I didn't think boxers with pink flames on them was funny," Natsu snapped, wriggling himself free from Gray's entrapment.

Gray let him. "Natsu, I really am sorry. What can I do to make it up to you?" Gray didn't like it when he didn't know what to do. Natsu was different than anyone else he'd ever met. Gifts didn't cut it when apologizing. His boyfriend wanted more, but Gray was unsure what that was.

Natsu observed Gray's somber yet honest expression. Perhaps he'd taken this little guilt-trip a bit too far. Mulling things over a bit, the pinkette came up with an idea that would make the both of them happy, or so he hoped.

"Let's go on a date," Natsu said.

"A date?" Gray hadn't really expected to hear that from the pinkette. "Okay. What do you want to do?"

"I get to choose?" Natsu asked in wonder. He half expected Gray to take charge and do something elaborate, but if he got to decide then things might take an interesting turn.

"What would you like to do, Pinky?"

"Um, can we go…well, you see…I've never been there before, but I've always wanted to go. But none of my friends are into that sort of thing, and I've never had the money to—"

"Just spit it out already," quipped Gray.

"All right. Can we go to the Magnolia Art Museum?"

Gray's eyes widened in surprise. Art? His boyfriend liked art? Well, that was interesting news. "We can go."

Natsu launched himself at Gray, hugging him tightly when he heard the answer. "Yes! Thank you so much! Oh! And…can we go _without_ Lyon? I just don't think he'd be into this sort of thing, and I really don't want to hear him sighing and grumbling that he's bored when I'm trying to enjoy myself. You saw when we watched that movie. He kind of ruins the mood."

"We'll go without Lyon. It _is_ a date, after all," Gray said suspiciously. "But since when are you interested in art?"

"I've always liked art. I've drawn and painted things for as long as I can remember," Natsu replied quietly. "I love it."

Gray didn't want to sound harsh, but he didn't know any other way to phrase his question. "Are you any good?"

Natsu took no offense to the question. "My art teacher—Reedus Jonah—says I am. Right now, we're doing landscapes and I've painted a pleasant scene of a sunset at the beach. It's in watercolor, too."

Gray really enjoyed seeing Natsu's eyes light up at the prospect of discussing art. This would be fun. "Do you have any work with you that I can see?"

"No. I keep everything locked up in the art room. If I kept it at home, my uncle would…" Natsu silenced himself, averting his eyes from him.

Gray sighed. Natsu still wasn't ready to talk about what his home life had been like, but they were going to have to talk about it sooner or later if he was ever going to move on and put it in the past.

"I didn't mean to make you dwell on bad thoughts, Pinky. That wasn't my intention. I just really want to see your work. I haven't seen you this passionate about something youcan _do_ before, so I took interest."

Natsu gave him a weak smile and rose from the bed. "It's okay. How about we get ready?"

Gray nodded in compliance. "And I'll go give Lyon the news. He can stay home all day reading manga for all I care. He's the older brother, and I'm _still_ more productive than he is," Natsu heard him grumble. There was also something about 'being alone,' 'private time,' and 'kissing innocent boyfriends,' but Natsu wasn't sure he heard him right.

Heading for the bathroom, the pinkette decided that he'd get ready for their _date_ , taking special care to look especially presentable.

* * *

"Pinky?" Gray called from the foyer. "Aren't you ready yet?" Seriously, how long did it take to get ready? It was like Natsu was a girl.

"I'm coming," the pinkette answered back loudly.

Gray had to stifle a groan when a flash of Natsu saying that in a completely different situation came unbidden in his mind.

"Okay, I'm ready."

Willing away his naughty thoughts, Gray turned to scold his boyfriend for taking so long. But he soon choked on his words when he saw what the pinkette was wearing.

Natsu was dressed in casual khaki pants that fit him nicely, with brown leather dress shoes, and a light green button-up dress shirt. His hair looked glossier than it had before; it had a stunning shine and would look absolutely fantastic in the sun. The light blush dusting his boyfriend's cheeks also made him look delightfully…scrumptious.

"Is this okay? Should I change? Because I'm not used to picking out what to wear for what occasion and—"

"You look fine, Pinky. I like it. You picked this out yourself?"

"Yeah," Natsu answered sheepishly. "So it's okay?"

Gray nodded, taking the pinkette by the hand and leading him out of the house for their date.

* * *

Gray was finding it hard to keep his excited boyfriend under control and gawkers at bay. Sure, he was used to being stared at by other people because—honestly—he was damn good looking, but he wasn't used to people staring at Natsu with lust-filled eyes—from both women and men.

It made him angry. And he didn't like it when he was angry. And he didn't like it when other people looked at his boyfriend. And he especially didn't like it when his boyfriend made people look at him unknowingly.

"Ooh, Gray! Look at this one!" Natsu exclaimed, dragging him over to a stunning portrait of Magnolia at nighttime, which was painted by a local artist.

"That's stunning," Gray replied honestly. He really was enjoying himself, but he thought he would enjoy it more if people didn't stop to stare every two seconds. He hated all the attention, but Natsu seemed completely oblivious to it.

"Just ignore them, Gray," the pinkette said, taking his boyfriend's hand in his, eyes still glued to the painting.

"Huh?"

"I know people are staring at us, but you just need to ignore them. I don't care what they think and neither should you. I'm all yours. The sooner people get that through their heads, the better. But for now, just be content with the fact that I am completely and utterly devoted to you," explained Natsu, giving the pale hand in his own a reassuring squeeze.

If they'd been in private, Gray would have tackled him to the ground and made out with him on the spot, but considering they were in a public place—with onlookers and possibly security cameras—Natsu probably wouldn't appreciate the thanks.

"I'm sorry, Pinky. I just—"

"You don't like all the attention. I know. Besides, the only attention you _should_ like is your family's and mine."

"When did you get so smart?" Gray asked amusedly.

"Whoever said I wasn't? Just because I may not show it, doesn't mean I'm not," Natsu answered, his eyes twinkling mischievously.

When Gray just looked at him with confusion in his eyes, he laughed and started leading the puzzled teen out of the museum.

"Let's grab some lunch."

Gray nodded mutely as he let himself get dragged to wherever his boyfriend was leading him. It was then that Gray realized that Natsu was a lot smarter than he'd given him credit for. He was quite observant, kind, generous, modest to a degree, humble, and highly intelligent. Why hadn't he noticed that before? Was Natsu gradually starting to open up to him because he was starting to trust him? Did he hide everything?

"Come on, slowpoke. I'm hungry," Natsu whined. "Can we get a burger? There's a small café over there. Can we go?"

"Sure."

Soon they were seated in a cute little café. Although it was quite small and comfortable, it didn't seem busy, and it appeared to be the right place to spend some quality time together and perhaps…ask a few needed questions.

After they'd placed their orders, Gray began. "What did you mean back there?"

With downcast eyes, Natsu smiled ruefully and sighed. "I'm very good at hiding myself from people. You would know what that's like better than anyone, Mr. Ice Prince. With everything I've gone through, it was just easier to act like an idiot without a care in the world. I never saw the point in being myself if I was always being criticized."

"Do you feel like you can be yourself around _me_?" Gray asked sincerely. He wanted to know how much of his boyfriend was fake and how much was real.

"May I ask you a question first?"

"Go ahead."

"If you got to know the real me, would you still like me? Are you willing to give that a chance? Because I…I won't be mad if you want to back out of a relationship with me."

Gray hid a smile at Natsu's cautious attitude. "Pinky, if I got to know the real you, then I think I would just fall even more in love with you."

Had Natsu been standing, he knew his legs would have given way. Gray thought that he would fall even more in love with him? But…he felt that he'd been impersonating someone else—someone who wasn't him—for so long that he didn't really know who he was anymore. Everything he loved had been abruptly snatched from him, leaving him with only snippets of his true self.

"Then we'll give it a try."

Gray smiled openly this time. "I'm glad. So does this mean my teaching you appropriate speech was a waste of time?"

Natsu smiled meekly at him. "Yeah. It was fun though. But I find that cursing just gives more impact to what I'm saying. It's not like I don't know how to talk with swearing."

"But you could have seen me naked," Gray hissed under his breath. "Why'd you screw up if you could already respond appropriately?"

"I chickened out. I was beating myself up for tricking you, and I thought it…unjust to deceive you in such a way. Besides, if all goes well in this relationship, I may see you naked yet."

Gray found himself really liking this real Natsu. They could have extremely intelligent conversations, and who knew what the pinkette's talents were. And his boyfriend still had a feisty, aggressive attitude along with being innocent and cute at the same time.

"You just might, Pinky. But don't think I'll be the only one who's naked," replied Gray with a wink.

"Ooh, look! The food's here!" Natsu exclaimed, fighting the blush that consumed his entire face. He had hoped to distract Gray with food, but apparently that only worked on him.

"What do you think your friends would do if you started acting like your real self?" Gray asked seriously.

The fry that Natsu had been bringing to his mouth dropped to his plate. "I…I don't know. I've been acting the way I have for so long, it'll be hard to break old habits. And if I do act like me, I don't know how they'll respond."

"They're your friends. Why should they treat you any differently?"

"They act one way when I'm around and an entirely different way when I'm not. 'Know that in the course of your future life you will often find yourself elected the involuntary confidant of your acquaintances' secrets: people will instinctively find out, as I have done, that it is not your forte to tell of yourself, but to listen while others talk of themselves; they will feel, too, that you listen with no malevolent scorn of their indiscretion, but with a kind of innate sympathy, not the less comforting and encouraging because it is very unobtrusive in its manifestations.' That's how they see me."

Gray was incredibly delighted. "That's a quote from _Jane Eyre_. So I take it that you enjoy reading as well?"

"I'm fond of the classics," answered Natsu. "But my friends confide in me all the time. I don't tell them anything of my life, though…or what I'm really like. I feel like they'd see me as…judgmental then, even though I'm not."

"Pinky, you might not like hearing this, but I'm going to say it anyway. Friends are only true friends if they accept you for who you are. Confiding in one another goes both ways, not just one. If they can't accept all the facets of your persona, then they don't deserve to be your friends. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Yeah, I know what you mean," replied Natsu, playing with his food. "But how would I know that they're truly liking me for me and not just liking me for who they were friends with before?"

Natsu sighed. That was a tough question. If he told his friends the truth, they might just be friends with the _idea_ of Natsu rather than being friends _with_ him. But how would he know the truth?

"I have an idea. I'm not exactly proud of the thought, but it'll let me know the truth."

"What do you have in mind?"

"Well, my friends always hang out at the park on Saturdays. What if we stop by? I'll act like the real me, being your boyfriend and all, and I'll pretend I don't know anyone. I can come up with a fake name and everything. Then we'll see if they make friends with me."

"It sounds like a plan. Are you sure you want to do this?"

"I'm sure. And it will let me know if they'll accept me even if I associate myself with you. If they don't…you and my sister are all I really need."

"Wait," stared Gray, his eyes narrowing incredulously, "you have a sister?"

Natsu blanched, suddenly paling for having let that little bit of information slip. "Y-Yes," he said quietly, staring at his food. "I have a…a younger sister. Her name is…Wendy. But after our dad…you know…we were separated. I went to live with my uncle, and she was taken in by our aunt."

The expression on Natsu's face was enough of an indicator that this was a difficult thing for him to discuss presently. "I'm sorry if I crossed a line."

Natsu shook his head, offering him a sad smile. "You didn't. You two are the closest to a real family I've ever had. And I wouldn't give that up for anything…including my friends. But I really don't want to get into…that part of my life right now."

Gray took Natsu's hand, raised it to his lips, and kissed it gently. "Then that's exactly what we'll do, because I'm not giving you up, especially not to your friends. I consider you a big part of my life…and my family. I'll never let you go."

* * *

 **End Chapter**


	9. Chapter 9

**My Fair Dragon**

* * *

Disclaimer – I do not own Fairy Tail

* * *

*Rated M for Mature

* * *

Summary: It's the day before Spring Break, and Natsu can't wait for some fun in the sun. But his dreams come crashing down when a school project not only winds up making him stay at the home of his worst enemy, but also his biggest crush—Gray Fullbuster! Modern/AU/High School

* * *

 **Chapter 9 – Saturday (Warning: Abuse/Alcohol)**

"Hey, Pinky? Before we go and trick your friends, may I ask you a few things?" implored Gray as he finished buttoning up his shirt.

"Um, okay. Ask away," replied natsu, somewhat puzzled by his tone.

Now, how was he going to phrase this? "Were you just…pretending to believe in the whole alien thing? Because I honestly don't get it."

The blush on Natsu's face was answer enough. "Just because I may be a bit smart does _not_ mean I'm Sherlock Holmes! Honestly, if you'd been in my shoes, you would have thought the same exact thing! Plus, aliens kind of freak me out anyway. How can we be the only living beings in existence with such a vast universe?"

Gray just smirked at his boyfriend's response. So, his boyfriend was smart, but still had his little gullible, naïve moments. That was good to know. He liked the goofball side of Natsu, too.

"Anything else you want to fucking know, Mr. Ice Prince?"

Gray frowned. Natsu had lapsed into his cursing. Or was it new? "Why are you talking like that again?"

"Huh? Oh. Sorry about that. Sometimes I just…well, it just happens. I trained myself to act and think that way. By continuously doing something, it becomes a habit. And it's hard to break. In order to act the way I did, I had to think it, feel it, and eventually become it. It will take some time before I can…get rid it."

"I understand," Gray said after some thought. "But you _do_ know that I want you to talk to me about your old life, right?"

"Why? There's nothing I want to talk about."

"You may not want to talk about it, but you need to. How else do you think you're going to stop having nightmares?"

Natsu paused and looked down at the floor. "It's not that I don't want to talk about it. It's just…"

"It's hard for you to dwell on those memories."

When Natsu nodded, Gray stepped over to him and gave him a hug. "Just…don't push this. Everything is all so new and…we've only been together a week. I don't want to fight about this. Just give me time. I promise I'll talk to you when I'm ready."

"Okay, Pinky," Gray sighed. "Can I kiss you?"

Natsu pulled away from him, his eyebrow raised. "You really do know how to ruin the mood, don't you?"

"What? I've been waiting to kiss you forever! I'm getting really ticked that we keep being interrupted!" Gray exclaimed, growing flustered.

"Well, with that kind of attitude, you're just going to have to wait a little longer," replied Natsu, moving away from him and out the door. "Are you coming or not?"

Cursing under his breath, the frustrated teen burst through the door. Perhaps he could vent his anger elsewhere. Like on Natsu's friends.

* * *

"Are you still sure you want to do this, Pinky?" asked Gray as they both stood outside the entrance to the park.

"Absolutely," answered Natsu, but he sure didn't look like he was.

"Everything will be fine. Just play your part and we'll see what happens. When you want to leave, just say the word and we're gone," Gray said encouragingly.

Nodding ever so slightly, Natsu approached the area his friends normally hung out at.

"What are you doing here, Gray?" Loke demanded almost immediately. Apparently, the fact that Natsu was standing there went over the teen's head.

"It's a public park. Why else would I be here?" Gray snapped, guiding Natsu in front of him.

The pinkette noticed that practically all his friends were there. Loke, Lucy, Levy, Rogue, Sting, Erza, and Gajeel.

 _This is going to be a lot of fun_ , Natsu thought sarcastically.

"Hi."

Natsu looked toward the person's voice, only to see Lucy standing mere inches from him.

"Hello," the pinkette replied in a polite manner manner.

"We weren't properly introduced before. I'm Lucy," she said, offering Natsu her hand.

The pinkette took it eagerly. "I'm Nikko. Who are your friends?" he inquired sweetly.

"Oh! That's Loke, Rogue, Levy, Sting, Erza, and Gajeel!" Lucy exclaimed excitedly.

Natsu looked them over. "It's nice to meet all of you."

The rest of them seemed indifferent, but Gajeel just narrowed his eyes contemplatively.

It was Gray's clearing of his throat that drew the attention of the others. Everyone seemed to freeze in his presence, giving him distant glares and such. So Natsu decided that he should break the ice; it was becoming quite frigid.

"This is my boyfriend, Gray Fullbuster," Natsu stated cheerfully.

"How much did he pay you to say that?" quipped Sting.

Natsu's demeanor changed in an instant, much to the surprise of everyone there. "Sting, was it? Do you have a problem with me? Because I can assure you that I have no ill feelings toward you," he stated in an astonishingly calm manner.

This response shocked Sting somewhat, and it took him a while to respond. "I just can't imagine why anyone would want to befriend that bastard, let alone be his boyfriend."

"And how well do you think you know him?" asked Natsu.

"He's a jerk to us!" Loke exclaimed.

"He always insults us," added Levy defiantly.

"I'm not sure _you_ know him," said Rogue, directing his comment to Natsu. "How long have the two of you been…dating, anyway?"

Natsu crossed his arms. "About a week."

Sting burst out laughing. "You guys have only been at it a week? So you're just in it for the money?"

Natsu balked. "I came here with the intent of becoming friends with all of you. Would you judge me so quickly because Gray is my boyfriend? You don't even know me."

"When you're with Gray, you're probably no good," said Sting.

"Then what about his brother…Lyon?" Natsu questioned, his voice becoming quieter.

"I like him! He was always great to us in school before he started college," Lucy butted in, trying to be the appeasing one.

"Yeah, but he's still Gray's brother," argued Sting.

Natsu felt himself growing more and more distant. These were his friends. They didn't like him because he was with Gray? And they didn't care much for Lyon either? Sure, Lucy was friendly, but she was friendly to everyone.

Gray watched as his boyfriend grew upset. He knew he shouldn't have let Natsu do this, but he had insisted. His eyes softened slightly, and he took the pinkette's hand in his own to comfort him.

No one noticed this brief exchange other than Gajeel, and he put two and two together. Erza happened to notice Gajeel tense and wondered what had made him react that way. When she looked in Gajeel's eyes, she knew something was up.

"How can you be so harsh?" Natsu asked quietly, his confidence in his friends slipping.

"We're harsh? Who you're dating is harsh," exclaimed Loke. "He thinks he's some hotshot just because he's got looks and money."

"No," Natsu began defiantly. It almost seemed as if he wasn't really there anymore, like he was lost in his thoughts, talking to himself rather than them. "He's nice to me. He's helped me."

"Loke, stop it," begged Lucy.

"Why? He should know the truth. Gray is the type of person who uses people. But I see now that you'd rather be used by him than be friends with us," continued Loke.

"So let me get this straight," snapped Natsu suddenly. "You would only be my friends if I had nothing to do with Gray?"

"You hit the nail right on the head," said Sting.

"But…what if one of your friends befriended him? What would you do then?" Natsu asked, trying to reason with them.

"Think they're on drugs," mumbled Sting.

Levy elbowed him in the stomach. "That just wouldn't happen. And besides, if it did, we would probably do everything that we could to make our friend see that they're being…deceived," she said.

"And if your friend wouldn't listen?"

"Then they probably wouldn't be our friend for very much longer, I suppose," answered Loke. "You must understand that Gray is not someone you should associate yourself with. He'll only bring you a great deal of pain."

"No…you are," Natsu said, fighting back tears, but everyone could see the sobs that threatened to wrack his body.

"We're going," Gray said suddenly, leading Natsu away from them. When he saw that the pinkette was safely away, he turned and glared at them. "You have _no_ right to speak to him that way. Not after what he's been through. You didn't even…" He paused as an idea came to his head. "Where's the Flamebrain?"

"Not here," said Sting.

"Do you even know _where_ he is? Or even if he's okay?" inquired Gray. When he received no answer, he continued. "He could be beaten to a pulp in some alleyway and you're all here. Have you even tried to locate him? Some friends you are."

And with that, Gray left the park.

Everyone else remained silent for a while, but it was Gajeel who broke the silence.

"All of you are fucking idiots," Gajeel snapped, drawing them out of their stupor. "That was Natsu."

"Huh? But he said his name was Nikko," said Lucy.

"I've known Natsu a long time. He didn't look or even sound like him," stated Sting.

"Oh, really? Then go find him and ask him yourself. Erza, let's go," said Gajeel, leaving the park, too.

Erza hurried after him. "That really _was_ natsu, wasn't it?"

"Yes. But there's still something that's bothering me."

"What's that?"

"What has he been through that Gray's apparently helped him with?"

* * *

"Eat your ice cream. It'll make you feel better," said Gray.

He and Natsu were sitting in a small café. After the pinkette had completely broken down in his arms, they'd done a little shopping, and settled down in the café to cheer his boyfriend up.

"Okay," Natsu said listlessly, staring at his ice cream.

"I got you something."

Natsu's head perked up. "When?"

"I…actually got it for you yesterday. I was going to give it to you, but then we'd been so engrossed in talking that I forgot about it."

"What is it?" Natsu sniffed.

"It's back at the house. Do you want to go home now?"

Natsu sighed halfheartedly. "Sure."

* * *

As soon as they'd reached the house, Natsu was feeling a bit better, even though he'd lost almost all of his friends. He still believed he would have Lucy on his side no matter what, but if she had to choose between him and Loke, Lucy would probably pick the latter.

"So what's this surprise?"

Gray smiled and led him to the living room. "Wait here."

Natsu plopped himself on the couch and stared at the wall listlessly. Even if he did lose all of his friends, he still had Gray…and Lyon…and his sister. That's all he really needed, right?

"Okay, Pinky. Close your eyes."

The pinkette did so. "I swear, if I feel your lips on mine, you're getting a black eye."

"Wouldn't think of it, Pinky," Gray chuckled.

Soon, Natsu heard something placed before him.

"Open your eyes."

Natsu did. "Why did you tell me to close my eyes if my gift is in a gift bag?"

Gray's expression turned blank. "Shut up, and open your gift," he replied, sitting next to Natsu.

Leaning forward, Natsu reached into the bag and pulled out a heavy wooden box, elaborately decorated. It was an art kit. It had paints, pencils, oils, and everything he could possibly ever need.

"There's more, Pinky."

And there was. Paint brush sets, an easel, canvases, sketchbooks.

"Thank you so much, Gray!" Natsu said through his tears, but these were happy ones now.

"You're welcome."

Natsu put everything back in the bag and turned toward Gray. "I think I'd like my kiss now."

Gray didn't have to hear that twice. He pulled the pinkette onto his lap, wrapping his arms around his waist. Natsu leaned down, and when their lips met for the first time, it was complete bliss.

After what seemed like a few minutes of clumsy kissing, Gray grew bolder and nibbled Natsu's bottom lip, eliciting a gasp from his boyfriend. Not taking any chances, he slipped his tongue into the pinkette's mouth, consequences be damned.

Natsu melted in his arms as Gray mapped out the contours of his mouth, drawing a delightful moan from him in the process.

When they finally pulled away because the need for air was too great, they stared at each other.

"I love you," Gray said softly.

"What?" gasped Natsu.

Gray then realized what he'd said, and he'd said it out loud. His boyfriend wasn't ready for that kind of confession yet. "I didn't mean it," he said quickly. "I like you, though. I _really_ like you."

"You like me."

"Yes. Very much," replied Gray, getting ready to pull Natsu down for another kiss, but the pinkette pulled away.

"I need to get you your gift. It's upstairs, so wait right here," said Natsu as he wandered off.

Gray leaned back on the couch, arguing with himself over his little mishap. He didn't even give Natsu time to answer. What kind of a person was he to just blurt out that he loved him and just…take it back as if it had never happened? He was an idiot!

"I'm back, Gray," said Natsu. "I was going to wear this when we went to bed tonight." He handed over a small gift bag to his boyfriend.

Gray took the gift bag and peeked inside. "But there's nothing in here."

"Exactly," Natsu replied with a smirk as he sauntered away sexily. "Now suffer."

* * *

 **End Chapter**


	10. Chapter 10

**My Fair Dragon**

* * *

Disclaimer – I do not own Fairy Tail

* * *

*Rated M for Mature

* * *

Summary: It's the day before Spring Break, and Natsu can't wait for some fun in the sun. But his dreams come crashing down when a school project not only winds up making him stay at the home of his worst enemy, but also his biggest crush—Gray Fullbuster! Modern/AU/High School

* * *

 **Chapter 10 – Sunday (Warning: Abuse/Alcohol)**

Natsu jerked from the bed, panting heavily. It felt as if his lungs were on fire. Placing a shaking hand to his chest, he tried to calm his breathing, but it did nothing for his trembling body.

He'd had another nightmare. And this one seemed to be the worst of all. He'd dreamt that everyone had left him: his friends had all abandoned him, his sister had deserted him, and…Gray had left him—kicked him out and left him—along with Lyon.

Natsu had literally felt his heart break, and the darkness started to surround him, mocking him, emphasizing that he was completely and utterly alone. But then something else happened, to make it all that much worse.

His uncle had come to him through the darkness. With an evil smirk on his face, he'd said that Natsu was all his now, to do with as he pleased. No one wanted him anymore, so he might as well make himself useful and stay with him.

Natsu had cowered in fear, even though it was just a dream. But that dream had brought his deepest fears to light.

And now here he was, sitting in Gray's bed…alone all over again. Biting back a sob, Natsu pulled his knees to his chest. He wanted Gray. He needed Gray. Back after the way he'd treated him yesterday—after Gray had said he loved him and took it back—the pinkette had felt nothing but the need to hurt him in some way.

But it wasn't Gray's fault. He had done nothing but help him. Natsu knew that Gray really did love him, but he was hesitant to admit it. So what did he do? Instead of being considerate to Gray's feelings, he'd hurt him.

Natsu felt panic seize him once more at the thought of Gray really leaving him. Moving off of the bed, he stumbled toward the bathroom. As he made it to the sink, he gazed at his reflection. He looked…lost.

Splashing a bit of water on his face, he sat down on the cold floor of the bathroom and pulled his knees up to his chest again, rocking himself back and forth.

How was he going to make things right again?

* * *

Gray paced the living room, thinking. What was he going to do about Natsu? Sure, he'd hurt his boyfriend by saying he loved him and taking it back, but later on, when he'd tried to apologize, especially after the whole gift incident, the pinkette had just brushed him off. He wouldn't even talk to him!

And even though he believed he was at fault, Gray couldn't help but feel hurt, too. It wasn't like Natsu had even tried to admit anything to him. Did the pinkette love him? Or was he just using him?

Frowning, he pinched the bridge of his nose. The only way he was going to know anything was if he actually spoke to Natsu. They needed to have long conversation; it was well overdue.

Pleased with his decision, Gray slipped out of the living room and made his way to his bedroom. When he opened the door, however, his boyfriend was nowhere to be seen. Upon further inspection, he noticed that the bathroom door was ajar, but it was still too quiet for his liking.

As he reached the bathroom door, he pushed it the rest of the way open and peered inside. What he saw tore at his heart. Natsu sat on the floor, knees drawn up to his chest, and he seemed to stare vacantly at the wall before him. Gray noticed him trembling slightly, and it looked as if he'd been crying.

"Natsu?" Gray called hesitantly as he approached the pinkette. "Natsu?"

The pinkette's head shot up, as if he were startled, and tears started streaming down his face again. "I'm sorry," he gasped. "I'm so, so sorry."

Gray gathered natsu in his arms and led him back into the bedroom. Seating him on the bed, he sat next to him. "Pinky, you have nothing to be sorry for."

"Yes, I do! Everyone's going to leave me. I don't want them to leave me. Don't leave me, Gray. Please don't leave me. I'm sorry. Please forgive me. I won't ignore you again," Natsu pleaded through his cries.

Gray felt at a loss as to what to do, so he settled on the truth. "Natsu, I have to admit that you did hurt me, but your reaction was legitimate. I said that I loved you, and I brushed it off as nothing. But it does mean something, Natsu. I do…love you. And if it means anything to you, I forgive you, too."

Natsu slowly got his emotions under control long enough to hug him. When his breathing finally calmed, he pulled away, only to kiss Gray passionately.

Gray quickly responded. Gathering his boyfriend in his arms again, he deepened the kiss, devouring every little crevice in the pinkette's hot cavern, making sure to map out everything and commit it to memory.

When they finally pulled away, Natsu looked up at him longingly. "I love you," he whispered. "I always have. I just never thought that you actually would or who it was that you would actually love. The real me or the fake me? But now I know that I can trust you completely. I've been pushing you away because this is all so sudden, but I hadn't taken into consideration that this is new for you, too."

"We're both a piece of work, aren't we?" Gray admitted quietly. "But that doesn't mean we can't have a strong relationship. I know I love you, and anyone who disapproves can go fuck themselves. I don't give a shit what other people think other than you and Lyon. And maybe my bitch of a sister and mother. The same should go for you. Pinky, you'll always have us. No matter what."

"I think you're wonderful," Natsu replied softly, placing his head in the crook of Gray's neck. "I'll beat the crap out of anyone who says otherwise."

"Even your friends?" Gray knew he was touching a nerve, but he had to know how willing Natsu was to commit to their relationship.

"Even my friends," Natsu stated strongly. "I wonder why they haven't tried to contact me, though. They didn't even seem concerned that I wasn't there yesterday."

"I noticed that, too. But perhaps they might start looking now."

"What do you mean?"

"After you left the park, I might have accidentally given them a bit of a speech."

Natsu chuckled. "I would have paid to see that."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Gray asked with a glare.

"Nothing."

"Nothing, huh? We'll see about that. Tell me, Pinky. Are you ticklish?"

Natsu's eyes widened comically. "No! Don't you even think about it, Gray!"

"Too late!"

"Gray!"

* * *

Lucy paced her room anxiously. She was growing more nervous by the minute. After what Gajeel had said yesterday, she and her friends had been trying to get a hold of Natsu for hours. They hadn't seen hide nor hair of Erza and Gajeel, but the rest of them had been searching for the pinkette tirelessly.

But the scary part was that Lucy hadn't realized how much she _didn't_ know about Natsu. She didn't know where he lived; she didn't recall ever getting a cell number, let alone a home number, from the pinkette. Natsu would just…show up.

Everyone had searched his usual hangout spots, but they couldn't find him!

"Calm down, Lucy. I'm sure natsu's fine," said Loke.

"Calm down? You want me to calm down? Our friend is missing!"

"Lucy, whatever it is, I'm sure Natsu can handle it."

"How do you know that? Are you absolutely sure he's okay? Can you prove to me that he's okay?"

Loke faltered, knowing that he couldn't assuage Lucy's fears.

Suddenly, Lucy stopped pacing. "What if Gajeel's right? What if Nikko is actually Natsu?" she asked quickly.

Loke felt a sense of amusement and horror wash over him. "Lucy, you're jumping to conclusions. Natsu wouldn't befriend Gray, and he would _never_ date him."

"But what if he was? What if that's really Natsu, and everything he said was true about Gray being his boyfriend and all?"

Sighing, Loke said, "I don't think so. Besides, why would Natsu put up this elaborate scheme to deceive all of us?"

"To see if we trust him? To see if we're really his friends?" Lucy stated slowly, everything falling into place in her mind. "He wanted to know if we'd still accept him as our friend even if he's dating Gray. Natsu just wanted our approval and wanted to assure himself that we were really his friends."

"If that was really Natsu, then we have to help him," replied Loke. "He's making a big mistake."

"But what if he isn't? What if _we're_ the ones making the mistake?"

Loke started frowning, not liking where this was going. "But Gray—"

"But nothing!" Lucy snapped. "Just because he's _your_ so-called rival, doesn't mean he's everyone's! We don't know very much about him. And what if Natsu's gotten through to him and…turned him around or something?"

"Lucy, this isn't right."

"I can't believe you," Lucy stated, appalled. "After everything Natsu's done for us—all of us—you would turn your back on him because he's with Gray?"

When Loke remained silent, Lucy did something she never thought she'd do in her entire life.

"Get out, Loke."

Loke's eyes widened in shock. "But Lucy—"

"I want you out, Loke! I don't want to see you again until you've straightened yourself out!"

Loke left quietly. When he was gone, Lucy burst into tears. She couldn't believe what she'd just done, but she'd fix the problem with Loke later. Now, she had to go talk to Natsu.

* * *

"Well, Pinky. Lyon's gone out with some friends, so that means we have the whole house to ourselves. What do you want to do?" Gray asked suggestively.

Natsu was about to answer when the doorbell suddenly rang. "Who could that be? Are you expecting company?"

"No," he replied.

Releasing his hold on his boyfriend, Gray made his way to the door with Natsu trailing behind. When he opened the front door, the sight before him startled him.

"Lucy?" Gray asked, stunned by the teen's disheveled appearance.

"Gray, is Natsu here?" she inquired meekly.

Natsu beat his boyfriend in answering. "Lucy?" he called.

Brown eyes widened in surprise. "Natsu!" she exclaimed bursting through the door and past Gray into the pinkette's arms. "It really is you!"

Natsu hugged the blonde, still trying to overcome the shock of the situation.

"Yeah. What…are you doing here?"

Lucy pulled away and looked up at Natsu. "I'm really sorry about what happened yesterday. Gajeel was actually the one who figured everything out. He knew who you really were. After he said you were really Natsu and not Nikko, everyone was scrambling around to see if it was true. When we couldn't find you, I put two and two together, and I'm…kind of taking a break from Loke," she rambled.

All Natsu felt he got was that Lucy broke this off with Loke. The rest was a blur. "What do you mean you're taking a break with Loke?"

"He's…being difficult. He can't get over the fact that his so-called rival is with one of his friends. I told him I didn't want to see him for awhile to shock him into thinking about how he reacted," Lucy explained.

"What's going on?" Gray demanded.

"Lucy broke things off with Loke for awhile because he obviously can't get over his hatred of you. _That_ accompanied with you dating me seems to have pushed him over the deep end. He's a mess," paraphrased Natsu.

Lucy eyed him strangely. "That's…why are you talking like that?" she asked.

"That's a long story. How about we talk about it over lunch," replied Natsu. He glanced over to Gray to make sure that was okay, but when he saw a weird look in his eyes, he was afraid to ask his next question. "Why do you look so…giddy?"

"Since Loke is so emotionally crippled at the moment, I wonder if I can make him look like an idiot in front of his fangirls," he mumbled, although it was quite loud.

"Don't push your luck, Gray. Now are you coming to lunch or not?"

Gray seemed to jolt back into reality at that point. "We are not having a guest for lunch."

"Yes we are," Natsu state firmly, glaring at his stoic boyfriend.

"Fine," he grumbled as he strode off to the kitchen.

"What was that all about?" Lucy asked, confused.

"He's just pissed because whenever it seems like we have a bit of _alone_ time, we get interrupted. Although, by alone time, I mean perv—"

"Shut the fuck up, Pinky, and get your ass in the damn kitchen! You want a damn guest? You make the fucking food!" Gray bellowed from the kitchen.

Natsu just laughed. "Don't worry, Lucy. He'll be fine. He's actually quite sweet when he wants to be."

"I'm warning you, Pinky!"

Natsu laughed as he guided Lucy into the kitchen.

Lucy was actually quite surprised to see Gray's reddening face. He was embarrassed! If only her friends could see this! Natsu and Gray _were_ really good for each other. Not to mention cute.

* * *

 **End Chapter**


	11. Chapter 11

**My Fair Dragon**

* * *

Disclaimer – I do not own Fairy Tail

* * *

*Rated M for Mature

* * *

Summary: It's the day before Spring Break, and Natsu can't wait for some fun in the sun. But his dreams come crashing down when a school project not only winds up making him stay at the home of his worst enemy, but also his biggest crush—Gray Fullbuster! Modern/AU/High School

* * *

 **Chapter 11 – Monday (Warning: Abuse/Alcohol)**

Gray lay in bed with his hands behind his head as he gazed up at the ceiling. He was alone for the most part; Natsu and Lyon were currently playing video games downstairs in the living room. It was a good thing they were, because it gave Gray time to think.

He wanted a little peace and quiet to reflect on what had happened over the past week. And what a week it had been. Never in his entire life had he expected Natsu to have such secrets, but that wasn't all the teen thought about. He also wondered what secrets his boyfriend was still hiding.

But the problem was, would he confide in him? And in addition to that, would Natsu ever hurt him again?

* * *

 _ **Gray's POV**_

Did I forgive him too easily yesterday? I know Natsu meant well, but I still can't shake the feeling that he just needed to hear being forgiven rather than honestly receiving forgiveness.

I mean, is he going to intentionally hurt me again? Is he going to ignore me if I ever hurt his feelings? I don't mean to hurt him. I just…don't know how to handle my emotions very well. I react in order to help myself, never thinking of how my reactions might affect others.

But Natsu does the same, doesn't he? He needs to _hear_ that someone loves him, that someone forgives him. And if he doesn't, he lashes out and hurts those around him emotionally.

He hurt _me_ …emotionally. No one's ever done that to me before. I must really love him if I'm willing to let him hurt me like that. And maybe I did forgive him too easily…too quickly. But I'd rather see him happy than hurt, even if it means swallowing my pride to do so. Even if it means I need to deal with the pain.

I would _never_ intentionally hurt him. Ever. But he might do that to me. If he's hurting, he wants me to know he's hurting, even if that means hurting me.

I don't know what to do. Why does this have to be so hard?

 _ **End Gray's POV**_

* * *

Natsu trudged up the stairs tiredly. Who knew Lyon had that kind of energy? It was exhausting! And they were just playing video games! Well, he might as well find Gray. He hadn't seen him all day.

Rapping lightly on the door, he opened it when he heard a faint, 'Come in.' Confused by the disheartened tone, Natsu pushed the door open, only to see Gray splayed out on his back on the bed.

"Have you been like this all day?" Natsu asked, concerned.

"Yes," came the soft reply.

Natsu sat on the bed next to Gray and placed a hand on his forehead. "Do you feel okay? You don't seem much like yourself right now."

"I'm not sick, Pinky."

"Then what's bothering you?" Natsu responded, lying down next to Gray, cuddling up against him. He felt Gray tense, but after a few seconds, his boyfriend wrapped his arms around him.

"I love you, Natsu."

The pinkette's expression grew grave. "I love you, too. But that's not what's wrong. Tell me, Gray. Please?"

Gray frowned in thought. Maybe he should pull the 'public eye Gray Fullbuster' for this conversation. It might be the only way to get the answers he needed. "Why should I tell you anything? You won't confide in me about these nightmares you're apparently having, you won't tell me about your home life or your past, so why should I say a word?"

Natsu closed his eyes and sighed. He knew this conversation was going to happen sooner or later. It was just…hard.

"What do you want to know?" the pinkette whispered.

Gray hadn't expected this reaction from Natsu. In fact, he'd been waiting for an argument to start accompanied with lots of yelling. The pinkette's sudden submissive tone had him slightly concerned, but he let it slide for now. He needed to know.

"If," Gray began, "you were in a dark and isolated area and you felt someone grab you from behind, how would you react?"

Natsu raised his head and eyed the teen strangely. He hadn't expected a question like that. What was—oh…

"Have you decided to do a little psychological profiling for our Social Behavior Project? Are you going to be watching my hand and body movements also?"

Gray rolled his eyes and sat up, taking Natsu with him. "I figured that you wouldn't want to tell me anything too personal just yet, so I decided to settle on ambiguous questions that you can provide honest answers to. I'm very good at reading people, Pinky. You can tell me a lot without really telling me with the answers to the questions I have in mind."

Natsu plopped himself back onto the bed, his hands resting above his head. For some reason, gazing up at the ceiling made it easier to think…and talk.

"I'm in a dark and isolated area, huh? That makes me think of an alleyway. And if someone grabbed me from behind…I would panic. My body would start shaking, my breathing would become harsher and more strained, and I would most likely be bracing myself for the oncoming pain. But the slightest change in atmosphere could change all that. If I could grab hold of my fear, I might be able to fight back. But then again, it might depend on who I'm up against. Next question."

Gray mulled over Natsu's answer before responding. "What, would you say, is the strangest thing you have ever witnessed in public?"

Natsu burst out laughing. "Is that a serious question?"

Gray nodded, wondering why the pinkette found it so amusing.

"Oh, I hope you're ready for this answer. We had a scary movie night at Lucy's one time. The living room at her place is connected to the kitchen and the door was open. Well, everyone was ready to call it a night, but we wanted a snack before leaving, so we sent Loke and Gajeel into the kitchen to get something.

"It was such perfect timing. As soon as they got into the kitchen, the ice dropped down from the ice machine in the refrigerator. It scared the hell out of the two of them! But I think it scared Gajeel the most. He launched Loke into the fridge, screaming 'Take him,' and took off running back into the living room! I think we laughed for hours after that."

Gray tried to stifle his laughter, yet to no avail. He burst out laughing right alongside Natsu, taking the pinkette by surprise.

"You really can laugh, can't you? And I thought your evil snicker was all you could do," Natsu said teasingly.

"Well, then it looks like we _both_ have a lot to learn from each other," replied Gray.

"And what do you think you've learned from me?"

"Just from the answers to these two questions, I've learned that you hate being alone, especially in the dark. You always think someone's going to hurt you or leave you. This might stem from your sister leaving you, perhaps? Your aunt made her leave you with your uncle, and he sort of represents the darkness. You associate being alone with the dark and pain; that's why you hate it.

"On the other hand, you know how to have a good time, how to laugh, but you can really enjoy yourself and let loose when you're with your friends. You've always believed that they couldn't hurt you because you've had so many good times together; you look out for each other. Am I close?"

"Right on the dot," Natsu answered slowly. "Do you have any more questions for me?"

"Are you willing to answer them if I do?"

"Yes."

"All right then. What is your favorite sport or physical activity? What aspect of it do you like the most?"

"Hm, I think that would probably have to be running. Racing out in the open, the wind flying through my hair. It makes me feel like I'm flying, like I'm completely free."

"Okay. Can you describe a situation in which an accidental physical action—like tripping or dropping something—made you embarrassed?"

When the pinkette started blushing furiously, Gray grew intrigued.

"Um, remember that time in class when I dropped my pencil and it rolled over to you?"

"Yes, what of it?"

"Well, after I went to get it—because you wouldn't give it to me—and returned to my seat, Sting said that from the angle he was sitting, it looked like…I was giving you…a b-blowjob," Natsu sputtered.

Now this _was_ a wonderful snippet of information. It looked like his boyfriend was innocent… _very_ innocent. Gray guessed he had quite a blushing virgin on his hands. It made him want to jump the pinkette, but he decided that it was in their best interest that he not do so.

Clearing his throat, Gray continued. "What is your worst pet peeve? When's the last time it happened? How did you feel when it did?"

"Drugs and alcohol," Natsu answered almost immediately. "My uncle would always smoke and drink. It impaired his judgment…made him violent. The last time that happened was…the day before I came here. It was the worst and best day of my life…

"I honestly thought he'd kill me. That morning he was beyond wasted. And the night before…I'd gotten the worst beating in my life. If I hadn't made it out onto that fire escape, I don't know if I'd be here," he gasped out in sudden realization.

Gray wasn't sure how to interpret Natsu's last sentence. Did he mean that he wouldn't be here as in his house? Or did he mean he wouldn't be…alive?

"Pinky—"

"Just move onto the next question, Gray. I know you have more. You can interpret my answer any way you please, but the reality of the situation is that I'm _here_."

But Gray wasn't through. He laced his fingers with Natsu's before moving onto his next question. And the last one he had in mind might be the most difficult if his suspicions were correct.

"Can you describe one of the household chores or responsibilities you were assigned? What did you like or dislike about it?"

Natsu froze, looking up at Gray worriedly. "Why do you need to know that?"

"Just answer the question, Pinky," Gray urged him comfortingly.

"I was a household _slave_ ," Natsu said with disgust. "He made me do everything. Wash the dishes, clean the floors, do the laundry, make dinner. I had to make everything completely _spotless_. I could make the floor sparkle, but he wouldn't like it anyway. He wanted it so clean you could eat off of it. One time I grew so mad, I told him you could. That was a mistake.

"He took his dinner, which he called crap, and threw it on the floor. He smeared it all over it with his foot, and he told me that if I thought the floor was so clean, I should eat off of it. When I said no, he shoved my face down onto the floor, and he made eat it. Everything. He told me I was a slob, and that I made his shoes dirty, so he made me…lick them clean.

"I had to do it, Gray. I had to. It was either that or getting branded by the stove. I didn't want to, but I had to."

Natsu was in tears now. Gray was nearing them as well. Pulling his boyfriend into his arms, he let the pinkette cry, rubbing his back soothingly in the process.

How could someone be so cruel to someone so sweet? It angered him to no end.

And that's where he fell back into his rut. He couldn't be mad at Natsu. Ever. He wanted the pinkette to be happy; he wanted to _make_ him happy. Gray would forgive and forget over and over again, because the pain Natsu endured far outweighed what he did.

Maybe it was wrong; it probably was. But Natsu had to heal _himself_ before they could ever hope to build a strong relationship. And if Gray had to suffer before they got there, he would do so willingly because his love for Natsu was the deepest thing he had, and he wouldn't lose that for anything.

Heal Natsu first. Then heal himself. Gray might not be pleased with the thought; it might have gone against everything he'd been taught to believe and trust in, but his boyfriend needed hope. And if he could help heal him, Natsu might just change into the sweet and caring person he knew was buried deep inside.

The pinkette's deep-seated fears and sudden abrupt reactions to situations that hurt him were preventing him from moving on with his life. If Gray wanted to be a part of it, he was going to have to assure Natsu that he _was_ a part of his life and would remain so.

But Gray was damned to know how he was going to prove it.

* * *

 **End Chapter**


	12. Chapter 12

**My Fair Dragon**

* * *

Disclaimer – I do not own Fairy Tail

* * *

*Rated M for Mature

* * *

Summary: It's the day before Spring Break, and Natsu can't wait for some fun in the sun. But his dreams come crashing down when a school project not only winds up making him stay at the home of his worst enemy, but also his biggest crush—Gray Fullbuster! Modern/AU/High School

* * *

 **Chapter 12 – Tuesday (Warning: Abuse/Alcohol)**

Exhaling slowly, Natsu opened his eyes. By the sunlight peeking through the curtains, he guessed that the sun had just risen. And he felt absolutely wonderful.

Perhaps wonderful wasn't the right word. natsu felt relieved, free—like a huge burden had been lifted from his shoulders. The weight that had once restricted his chest, preventing him to _live_ , was now gone.

In its place was an unyielding sense of being loved and cared for. What surprised Natsu the most, however, was that he felt the same way in return for the sleeping teen beside him. The pinkette knew he loved Gray before, but what he felt now seemed to go beyond what he had been previously feeling; it felt fresh and new, as if he had a clean slate—one he was willing to take advantage of.

Had speaking with Gray yesterday really healed him so much? Come to think of it, he hadn't even had any nightmares last night. Not one. Natsu had actually woken up feeling lively, not desolate. It was something he could really get used to.

Natsu turned onto his side and gazed at Gray's dozing form. As he analyzed the teen's calm features, he noticed that Gray looked both peaceful and troubled. And the pinkette knew why. Gray was peaceful because he had told him about his past, and he was troubled because Natsu had hurt him. The pinkette hadn't meant to; he had just wanted Gray to hurt because _he_ had been hurting.

But that was going to stop. It was time that Gray stopped taking care of his boyfriend. Now, Natsu would take care of Gray.

* * *

Natsu had watched Gray for a few minutes more before leaving the room. He wanted to make sure his boyfriend would be asleep for awhile longer.

As he tiptoed down the hall, he went downstairs and into the kitchen. Putting together a simple breakfast, he grabbed a tray, placed the meal on it, and headed back upstairs to Gray's room.

Managing to get the door open, however, was another task entirely. Natsu didn't know how he did it, but he managed to pry the door open—without dropping the tray and having one wrist in a cast. Whoever said miracles ceased to exist?

Finally making it into the room, Natsu placed the tray on the bedside table and crept back into bed. Carefully snuggling up to Gray, the pinkette planted a very soft kiss on his boyfriend's lips.

"It's time to wake up, my sleepy little icicle," Natsu whispered in amusement, giving him another kiss.

Gray woke, and he was quite pleased to see his boyfriend smiling at him sweetly. Oh, how long he had waited to see that smile.

"Morning, Pinky," Gray yawned.

"Morning, Gray. I made you some breakfast," Natdu replied lovingly.

Gray frowned. "You didn't have to do that, Natsu. I can do that myself. And besides, I'm not much of a breakfast eater anyway."

"Well, that's going to change. You're going to eat something even if it means I have to feed it to you myself." He _really_ had Gray's attention now.

Where had this sensitive, nurturing Natsu come from all of a sudden? Gray realized at this present moment that he felt like the pinkette must have when he'd thought he was an alien.

"Are you all right, Pinky?" Gray asked, concern lacing his voice.

Natsu laughed, amused by his boyfriend's reaction to his behavior. "I'm fine, Gray. I feel really great today. I think talking to you about my past yesterday really helped me. Thank you," he replied, kissing Gray sweetly on the mouth.

Gray found himself smiling by that simple action. "You're welcome, Pinky. So what are we having for breakfast?" he asked when he saw Natsu bringing the breakfast tray to the bed.

"Scrambled eggs, toast, bacon, coffee for you, and orange juice for me."

"You cooked? You didn't blow up my kitchen, did you?" Gray teased.

Natsu huffed and stared at him like a displeased mother. "I can cook pretty damn well, thank you very much. Now shut the hell up and eat your fucking breakfast."

Gray had to stifle his laughter. Only Natsu could get so irked over something like this. It was just too cute.

"You're so adorable when you're flustered. Hm. It kind of makes me want to have _you_ for breakfast instead."

Natsu turned beet red. "Like hell!" he screeched. "You're doing nothing of the sort! Now eat your damn breakfast before I cover you in it!"

Gray _really_ started smirking then. His boyfriend really was too innocent for his own good. "Will you eat it off me if you do?"

Natsu resisted the urge to smack the pervertedness out of him. Instead, he tried a different tactic. "But Gray, I got up just to make breakfast for you. Don't you want your Pinky to take care of his boyfriend?" he asked innocently, giving Gray teary puppy-eyes.

"Stop it," the teen snapped.

Breaking from his little act, Natsu felt hurt, but only for a moment. When he saw the red tinge on Gray's cheeks and the pillow that was suddenly in his lap, the pinkette couldn't help but laugh.

"I guess I don't really have to do much to turn you on, huh?"

"Shut up! You really are too cute for your own good. Now let's eat breakfast before I _take you_ on it."

Natsu felt both excited and scared by the comment, but he let the latter feeling pass. He wanted to play with his boyfriend a little more.

Snatching the pillow away from Gray's lap, Natsu crawled over the surprised teen and straddled him, pushing him onto his back on the bed.

"You shouldn't bark orders at your boyfriend," he said, his lips grazing Gray's. He grinned when he felt his breathing increase rapidly. "You might make him mad. And then he wouldn't do things like this."

Natsu ran his tongue across Gray's lips before tugging on his bottom lip with his teeth, begging for entrance. Gray granted him that privilege. As Natsu entered his boyfriend's mouth, he began sucking on his tongue in a very robust manner, drawing a delightful groan from the older teen beneath him.

Pulling away, Natsu started trailing kisses around Gray's jaw line, gradually moving from the base of his ear to down his neck. When the pinkette started lapping at his collarbone, Gray pushed him away.

"Too fast. Not ready," Gray panted, a look of regret in his eyes.

Natsu backed away and moved off of him, surprised that he had actually said that. "I wasn't going to do anything more than that if…that's what you thought," he replied apologetically.

"Pinky," he began, sitting up again, "what I mean to say is…we're not… _I'm_ not ready for our relationship to go that far yet. Do you understand?"

"Yes. I do. I'm not ready for that either."

"Then why did you—"

"You work me up all the time, so I kind of wanted to give it a try," Natsu answered meekly, blushing cutely in the process.

"Well, you succeeded," Gray grumbled, rolling his eyes.

Natsu beamed. "Can we eat breakfast now? I'm starving!"

"Sure. I wouldn't want my boyfriend to be hungry all day."

Eagerly passing Gray a plate, they dug into their food. But after Gray's initial bite, Natsu grew concerned; he hadn't swallowed yet.

"Gray? Are you okay?" Natsu asked timidly. Was he _really_ a bad cook?

Gray managed to swallow the food, but he was having a hard time not acting…stupid. It was probably the best damn thing he'd ever tasted. Just what the hell did Natsu do to the eggs to make them taste so good?

When Gray turned wide and teary eyes on Natsu, the pinkette freaked. _Oh, no_ , Natsu thought frantically. _My food is so bad he's crying? I've poisoned him or something haven't I?_

"You're cooking from now on," Gray stated abruptly.

"What?"

"This is…delicious. And it's only scrambled eggs. What the hell did you do to them?"

"I added a little bit of salt and pepper, some fresh basil and sage," Natsu answered cautiously.

"That's it?"

"And…love?" Just what kind of an answer was Gray looking for?

"You can cook other things, right? Different foods? Like things for lunches? Dinners? Desserts?"

Natsu wanted to run at that point. From the crazed look in Gray's eyes, he was imagining all the kinds of food the pinkette could possibly cook up.

Suddenly a banging on the door interrupted them.

"Natsu?" Lyon called. "Did you make me that breakfast? Come on! Answer me! Did you?" Lyon was starting to sound like a cat trying to claw his way in through the door. "Natsu," he whined again.

The pinkette looked away from the door back to Gray, only to see him devour the rest of his plate in a matter of seconds. He even topped it off with a loud belch, something Natsu would have done. It was really strange coming from Gray.

"Excuse me," he said. "So…uh, what's for lunch?" Gray asked gently.

The door burst open, and Lyon flung himself at Natsu, hugging him tightly. "Natsu, breakfast was _so_ delicious. Are you cooking from now on? Because you should be cooking from now on. Especially for me! I'm a college student! I need good food! Your food! Please cook from now on! Please!"

"Lyon," Natsu started, his expression growing soft, but then realization hit him like a nuclear bomb. "Wait! How'd you get in? I locked the door!"

Lyon let Natsu go and backed away slowly. "Oh! I…uh…kind of picked the lock," he replied sheepishly.

"Picked the—Lyon! What if we'd been having sex in here and you just picked the lock and waltzed in, huh?"

Both Lyon and Gray's eyes widened at the thought; although, Gray's mind was actually in a gutter somewhere, not thinking about burning out his brother's eyes with his licentious activities.

A whack from a nearby pillow brought the both of them out of their disturbing thoughts.

"You guys are unbelievable! _You_ for picking the damn lock and _you_ for having dirty thoughts!"

Gray glared at them. "And how are you suddenly aware of what my thoughts are?"

"Gray? Your nose is bleeding," Lyon deadpanned.

Natsu placed his hands on his hips and gave Gray a knowing smirk, in which his boyfriend promptly grabbed a tissue, ushered Lyon out of the room, and fled to the bathroom.

When Natsu heard the shower turn on, he laughed. Life with these brothers was definitely going to be interesting. He couldn't wait for what would happen next.

* * *

 **End Chapter**


	13. Chapter 13

**My Fair Dragon**

* * *

Disclaimer – I do not own Fairy Tail

* * *

*Rated M for Mature

* * *

Summary: It's the day before Spring Break, and Natsu can't wait for some fun in the sun. But his dreams come crashing down when a school project not only winds up making him stay at the home of his worst enemy, but also his biggest crush—Gray Fullbuster! Modern/AU/High School

* * *

 **Chapter 13 – Wednesday (Warning: Mentions of Physical and Sexual Abuse/Alcohol/Murder)**

Lucy sat at the desk in her room and stared out the window. She was still going over what Natsu had told her a couple days ago. And she still couldn't believe what he'd said.

Soon, a knock sounded on his door. Without turning around, Lucy said, "Come in," fully expecting her father to enter.

"May I speak with you, Lucy?"

Lucy's eyes widened in surprise. "Loke?" she exclaimed, spinning around in her chair so fast that she almost fell out of it. "What're you doing here? I thought—"

"Lucy, please let me explain. I've been doing a lot of thinking over the past few days."

"Okay. Well, let's sit over here so we can talk," replied Lucy, indicating that they sit on the bed. When they did so, Lucy continued. "Loke, I know said I didn't want to see you for awhile, but I didn't think you'd really _leave_ for that long! I was just so mad at the time. I said that without thinking. I'm sorry."

"Actually, it was a good thing that you did so. Your spontaneous decision left me to reevaluate my situation. I've been hanging around the park the past couple days trying to figure out how to fix things. I made a very grave mistake. I let my detestation for Gray get the better of me. In turn, I hurt my friend and my love. I do hope you can forgive me, Lucy," he sighed, not expecting any sort of forgiveness.

It was then that Lucy took in Loke's disheveled appearance. The haggard look, dirty clothing, and pallid complexion were completely unlike the dreamy-looking prince of their school. Lucy couldn't help but instantly feel pity and the need to take care of Loke, but she had a few things to settle first.

"I spoke with Natsu after you left," said Lucy softly.

Now it was Loke's turn for his eyes to widen. "You…found him? Where was he? Is Natsu all right?"

"Slow down, Loke. Let me explain. After you left, I decided to go to Gray's place to see if Natsu was there. I truly believed that Nikko and Natsu were one and the same. When I got there, Natsu was there, and he was pretty surprised to see me. I got invited in for lunch so that we could talk. Gray was there, too."

"What did you talk about? Did he mention why he tried to deceive us the other day?" Loke decided to take this step by step. He was trying desperately not to jump to conclusions.

Lucy noticed his effort, too, and smiled inwardly. "Natsu said that he'd been paired up with Gray for a Social Behavior Project for school the day before Spring Break started. Part of the project was that he had to live with Gray, but apparently when Natsu got there, Gray had to call his family doctor to check up on him."

Loke's eyes narrowed. "Why would Natsu need a doctor? He wasn't sick that day, was he?"

Lucy shook her head as she fought back tears. "His uncle had been abusing him. He's been abusing him for years and we didn't know," she gasped softly.

This news floored Loke. Why would Natsu hide something like this? Why didn't he get help? Why didn't he tell them what was going on?

Lucy sniffed and looked at Loke. "Gray suspected that he was being abused. The doctor confirmed his suspicions about the abuse. That Friday, Natsu was suffering from a mild concussion, bruised ribs, a sprained ankle, and malnutrition."

"Why didn't he tell us?" Loke exclaimed, hurt by his friend's secret.

"Natsu said he didn't want us to worry. He's been hiding himself for so long that it didn't occur to him to ask for help. He said he did so when he was younger, but nothing happened and he was still at home with his uncle. Natsu…the Natsu we know, he faked. He said being the funny guy, the goofball, didn't draw attention to him like being himself would have. Had he been himself, someone would have figured out something was wrong. But if he put on a happy attitude, no one would question him."

"I can't believe—wait! So how did he get a cast on his arm? You said nothing about that."

"That was…an accident. Don't look at me like that! Let me explain first before you go all…commando. Natsu said he was in a state of denial and was trying to push Gray away, even though he was honestly trying to help him. It was hard for him, Loke. Gray kept trying to help him, but Natsu was pushing him out. So Gray got mad and pushed Natsu away from him. When Gray left the room, Natsu stumbled and sprained his other ankle and broke his wrist."

"That's it! I'm going to kill Gray!" Loke roared, making ready to leave.

"Loke, wait! I'm not finished!"

Loke paused at the door and turned to face Lucy. "What else?"

"Well, the reason Gray got so mad was because Natsu had apparently faked amnesia or something and then Gray found out and…yeah. But after the whole incident, Gray got really upset and apologized to Natsu and…"

"And what?" asked Loke, raising an eyebrow.

"They sort of confessed to each other, and now they're dating," Lucy blurted rapidly.

Loke closed his eyes, letting everything sink in. Then he started chuckling. "It just figures that one of my friends would start dating my own rival."

Lucy sighed. "I really don't think counting the number of fangirls you each have constitutes a rivalry, Loke."

"Well, they definitely make an interesting couple, don't they? And they'll probably have one of the most complex relationships ever."

"So…you're okay with this?" Lucy asked, fidgeting slightly.

"Yes. I have to trust Natsu. It hurts knowing that he didn't feel he could trust us enough to tell us what was going on, but what Natsu… _and_ Gray need right now is our support," Loke said finally.

"That's not all," Lucy said quietly. "What I'm going to tell you now, you have to promise me you won't tell anyone. Not even Gray. He doesn't know…yet."

"I promise not to tell anyone, Lucy. You can trust me," Loke replied sincerely.

"Natsu didn't tell anyone about his uncle because he's afraid that if he did, his uncle would find them and try to hurt them."

"Why would his uncle do something like that?"

"His uncle is afraid of what Natsu might say."

"Say about what?"

"His uncle used to work for Gray's father—Silver Fullbuster—as his personal bodyguard."

"I remember hearing about him in the news some years ago. He wasn't a nice man. He died, though, didn't he?"

Lucy nodded. "Natsu said that when his uncle gets drunk, he tells him things. Things he doesn't want to hear, secrets he wished he didn't know. If Natsu ever told and his uncle found out, he'd be…in for it."

Loke was beginning to feel quite uneasy. This wasn't good. "Did Natsu tell you anything about what his uncle told him?"

"No. He wouldn't say. And he looked very scared. He's probably wondering if his uncle will start looking for him."

Loke sighed, feeling absolutely helpless. "He needs to tell Gray…and soon."

* * *

It was early afternoon when Gray came home. He'd been dragged into doing some work for his mother even though he was off for Spring Break. But alas, problems arose that he could not avoid. Or so his mother claimed. Well, he was home now and eager to find his boyfriend so that they could spend some time together.

Heading for the living room, Gray stepped through the door, fully expecting to see Lyon and Natsu playing video games together. But he only saw Lyon.

"Where's Natsu? I thought you two were going to spend the day together."

Lyon paused his game and looked at Gray. "We were, but Natsu said he wanted to go to the art room for a while," he replied.

"Art room?" Gray echoed. "Lyon, I never showed him the art room. How would he know where it was?"

Lyon shrugged his shoulders and got up from the couch to walk over to Gray. "Then why would he say he was going there?"

"I don't know." Something was off. Why would Natsu seek a room he didn't know existed? "Let's go see what he's up to… _quietly_."

They went up the stairs and down the vast expanse of hallway. Gray couldn't even remember the last time he went this far down the hallway. But when they approached the art room, they noticed that the door was closed.

Unlike the other doors in this hall, the art room was the only one that had a small glass window on the door. There was even a small latch that could be opened from the outside of the door to provide one with a small opening, perhaps to hear what was going on inside.

And when Gray tested the door, finding it locked, he did just that and opened the latch. Glancing through the glass, his eyes panned the room for his boyfriend, and when he spotted him, he made to call out, but stopped. Natsu had just started talking. Gray told Lyon not to make a sound. He wanted to hear what his boyfriend had to say.

* * *

Natsu wandered aimlessly around the art room as he re-familiarized himself with it. _So_ many years had passed since he'd last been here. So many years.

Looking around the room, the pinkette guessed that no one had been in here for some time. Everything was covered in dusty white sheets. Even the paintings.

He moved over to the hearth where a prominent painting rested above it, a large sheet hanging over it as well. Natsu grabbed the sheet and yanked it off, revealing a startling painting of none other than Silver Fullbuster.

The pinkette's fingers hesitantly traced the initials 'ND' on the right-hand corner of the painting. He strongly believed the painting burned him to the touch, but it was only his imagination. His eyes scanned the portrait, and he peered at the torturous eyes of its namesake.

The portrait of Silver looked realer than a photograph. His clothing looked soft to the touch, his hair smooth and slick, his expression hard and calculating, and his eyes…his eyes were so cold. Natsu felt as if those eyes bore into his soul; they followed his every movement.

"I don't know how you died," Natsu started, breaking the eerie silence of the room. "In all honesty, you deserved it more than anyone. I hope it was painful. I hope you suffered."

Natsu turned his back on the painting, glaring at the room. "But death was far too easy for you. You deserved worse than that, Silver."

He faced the painting again. "I wonder, though. What would have happened if Zeref hadn't died? Or worse. What would have happened if Zeref had died and you hadn't?"

Natsu visibly trembled as he cast his eyes to the floor. "I never wanted to be with a Fullbuster, let alone fall in love with one. But Gray isn't like you, is he? He's not. He's not like you…and he's not like Zeref. He's just Gray…my Gray."

Suddenly, the pinkette's head perked up. "I know you're there," he said, eyes glued to the painting once more.

Gray flinched. He'd been so engrossed in Natsu's words that having the pinkette speak to him directly startled him. Lyon had grabbed his wrist and was clutching it tightly when he noticed that Natsu was coming toward the door.

"Gray," Lyon whispered worriedly.

But before Gray could respond, the door was already open, with Natsu staring at them expressionlessly.

"He used to do the same thing. This was the only place where he could look and listen, but never touch," said Natsu, his face blank and emotionless. When Gray and Lyon made no move to respond, the pinkette sighed. "You can come in if you want."

As Natsu slowly wandered back into the room, Gray bolted into action. "What were you talking about? How did you know… _Silver_?" He refused to acknowledge that man as his father. Just saying the name left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Natsu found an armchair and plopped himself into it, dust billowing around him. He waved it away in a means to clear the air. "I knew him for a long time…maybe longer than you," he answered quietly.

Gray didn't know where to begin. He was completely lost as to where to start. But Lyon knew how.

"Why were you talking to his picture?" Lyon asked, looking up at the picture fearfully. "I don't think I've ever seen that one."

"And you wouldn't have. He never let anyone inside this room other than me," Natsu responded just as quietly as before. "I…had hoped to leave this room before you two started looking for me. I even had an excuse ready to avoid being confronted on how I knew there was an art room. I wasn't quite ready to talk to you guys about this yet…but you found me," he said helplessly.

"Natsu, why were you talking to him?" Lyon asked again.

"After my uncle took me in—I think I was around six at the time—he started taking me to work with him. You see, he was Silver's personal bodyguard. This was after your mother divorced Silver. She discovered his…other family. And since there was no one to take care of me at home, he took me here. Silver allowed him to, so I usually ended up in the living room…with Zeref…your half-brother.

"It looked so much different then. There was a large desk in the far corner of the room. That's where Zeref would study. I usually sat in the corner opposite him with a sketchpad, and I would just draw. It wasn't too long after this routine started that things got…out of control."

* * *

 _ **Flashback**_

 _Acnologia peered into the living room where his nephew and Zeref seemed to be entertaining themselves. Silver stood right beside him, watching the two young boys as well._

" _How old is your nephew?" Silver asked._

" _Natsu? He's six," Acnologia replied._

" _He's quite mature for his age," commented Silver, staring at Natsu intently._

" _And smart. He's the top of his class at school. But now that it's summer, he's got nothing to do and no one to look after him. When school's out, he usually just draws."_

" _Is he any good?"_

" _Go and see for yourself. He's probably working on something right now. Go check on him while I make my rounds," replied Acnologia, leaving._

 _Silver watched him leave before he stepped into the room. The small pinkette's head did not lift up; he was too transfixed in what he was drawing. As the older man approached the small boy, he peered over his shoulder, and what he saw nearly took his breath away._

 _Natsu had drawn Zeref crouched over his desk, working tirelessly on his schoolwork. Even though it was summer, Silver felt that one should never ease up on their studies. But the picture was so lifelike, so real; it was if he could reach out and touch his son in the flesh._

 _Natsu froze when a large hand reached out and stroked his picture. The pinkette's head shot up, only to see the face of his uncle's boss staring down at him._

" _Your name is Natsu, correct?"_

 _The pinkette nodded mutely, still staring at the older man._

" _May I see what you've drawn so far?"_

" _Sure," Natsu said softly, handing over his sketchbook. "I've done all kinds of pictures. It was only until I got here that I started drawing things that I see."_

 _Silver was surprised by the young boy's dialect. It was absent of all the flaws in language normal boys his age had. He seemed as intelligent as his own son._

" _And what did you draw before?" Silver inquired._

" _Just things I imagined or dreamed. But I like drawing stuff I can see. There's…a lot of detail to look at."_

 _Silver was mightily impressed by the pinkette's portfolio. He was intelligent, talented, and was very easy on the eyes as well. Yes…he'd be a perfect match for Zeref. But he had to convince his bodyguard of that first. Perhaps paying the man off would suffice._

" _Zeref. Come look at Natsu's drawings," Silver called, setting his plan into motion._

 _The boy stopped what he was doing and left his desk to come do as his father asked. When Zeref got to the pictures of himself, he started laughing._

" _Why are you drawing me? Do you like me?" Zeref chuckled._

 _Natsu turned red. "No!" he protested. "I got tired of drawing inanimate objects and wanted to see how it would be to draw something that was constantly moving."_

 _Both Silver and Zeref were surprised by the use of his word 'inanimate.' Silver was more determined than ever to make Natsu Zeref's perfect match. But it would take time. A lot of time._

 _ **End Flashback**_

* * *

"Soon after that, Silver had convinced my uncle to let me stay here. He told him that such an intelligent boy should have the best education possible and that he could give it to me. And the next two years, I lived here," said Natsu breathlessly, his expression growing troubled. "But something went wrong after that. As I started growing older, Silver took more of an…inappropriate interest in me."

Gray suddenly found it hard to breathe. "Natsu, did he—"

"He…made subtle touches every once in a while and occasionally made me touch him. It was nothing…too traumatizing. He usually just preferred to watch me. But even at that age I knew what he was thinking, and I was afraid he would one day act on it."

"Did you ever tell anyone, Natsu?" Lyon asked softly.

"There wasn't anyone to tell," Natsu said. "There was just me, Silver, and Zeref. I was mostly in here all of the time, and Zeref usually ignored me. He was always too wrapped up in his studies to pay me any mind. But when he caught Silver touching me, Zeref never let me out of his sight."

* * *

 _ **Flashback**_

" _That's a beautiful painting, Natsu," cooed Silver as he stroked the eight-year-old's back. "You did a wonderful job on my portrait. Now how should I thank you?"_

 _Natsu trembled, and he squeezed his eyes shut when he felt Silver's hand trail past his back to somewhere lower, his hand—_

" _Father? There's someone downstairs who want to see you," called Zeref._

 _Suddenly, the hand was gone. "We'll continue this later," whispered Silver as he left the room._

 _Natsu fought the urge to collapse as tears started running down his face. But then two small hands reached out and steadied him. He was looking into the concerned eyes of Zeref._

" _I saw what he did," said Zeref. "Does…this happen often?"_

" _Only when we're alone, a-and he's pleased with me," stammered Natsu, shaking._

 _Zeref pulled him into his arms and hugged him. "I won't let him do that to you anymore. You're always going to stay with me, okay?"_

 _Natsu nodded, gripping Zeref like a lifeline. Never again did he want to be alone with Silver. Never._

 _ **End Flashback**_

* * *

"Zeref kept his promise. We were always together. He even convinced Silver to put another bed in his room so that I could sleep there. Zeref told him that we were becoming great friends and that he liked me very much. Silver believed him, and he left me alone after that.

"But it was then that I knew my relationship with Zeref had changed. He really started to like me and took an interest in me, but I could see him as nothing other than a friend. It hurt Zeref when I told him that, and he was determined to convince me otherwise.

"One day, we went out into the garden. We were ten. He took me to the cherry blossom trees; they were in full bloom. We stood underneath one of the biggest trees, cherry blossoms fluttering down to the ground every now and then. It was breathtaking. Zeref then decided that it was the right time for him to show me how he felt.

"He kissed me. It wasn't a big kiss, just a quick one on the cheek. I think it took both of us by surprise because we just stared at each other in shock, our faces getting red. Then Zeref leaned in again. He wanted to kiss me again…this time on my lips.

"But before he could do so, my uncle saw. He'd been making his rounds, and he saw Zeref kiss me the first time, but he got angry when he saw that Zeref was going to do it again, and I wasn't going to stop him. And he—" Natsu stopped, sobs threatening to overcome his body. "I can't tell you this. I can't."

Gray knelt next to the pinkette and pulled him into his arms. Lyon sat next to them and grabbed Natsu's un-casted hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"Natsu, what happened? What did your uncle do?" Gray had a feeling he knew what it was, but he had to hear it from Natsu first.

"No! If he finds that out, he'll kill me!"

"He won't, Natsu. I'll protect you from him. Now what did your uncle do?" Gray demanded.

Natsu took a deep breath as he tried to calm himself. "He killed him. He killed Zeref right in front of me."

"But…that's not what Silver said," Lyon said meekly. "Our mom told us about the…other family, and that we had a half-brother. There's no way he would have done something like that."

"I _know_. That's what he needed everyone to think. Had the public discovered that Silver's bodyguard had killed his son, they would have discovered me. That was something Silver didn't want. My uncle wasn't arrested, but fired, paid off, and sent to live in the slums. I was shipped off to join him afterward. He said he'd send for me after he straightened things out and the time was right. He died before that could happen."

Gray didn't know what to say. Silver had somewhat sexually abused him, his uncle physically and emotionally abused him, he'd witnessed someone dying by his uncle's own hand, and had been forced to live a life he didn't deserve. And in addition to that, Natsu was virtually terrified by the thought of his uncle discovering him. Just what was that man capable of when sober?

"When I heard Silver was dead, I was actually quite happy," started Natsu once more. "But when I found out that a Fullbuster would be attending Fairy Tail Academy, I nearly had a heart attack. I was afraid that you would be just like him. I wanted to avoid you, but you sought me out. The more I got to know you, the more I started to like you, even though I tried to hide it. I feared you.

"I had been afraid of Silver because he had wanted me for his own sick pleasure. I had been afraid of Zeref because I didn't want him to hate me if I couldn't return his affections. I had been afraid of you, Gray, because I didn't want to be hurt by a Fullbuster ever again. When you stepped through that classroom door, I thought I was being punished for Zeref and Silver's deaths.

"But you're not like them. You're different than they were. You let me be myself, you let me make my own decisions, you let me hurt you even though you don't want to be, you make sure you see to my needs before your own, and you love me. You care for me like no one else ever did.

"That's why I push you away sometimes. I feel like it's all too good to be true, and you'll be snatched away from me, or you'll throw me away when you're done. I'm really sorry that I've hurt you in the past. It's just that I've only experienced joy with pain following shortly after. It's hard completely opening yourself up to someone. And I think you know what that means, too."

Gray leaned back, raising Natsu's chin so their eyes could meet. "I do know what that means, Natsu. But that shouldn't stop us from trying to build a strong relationship. Instead of worrying about when we _might_ get hurt, we need to relax and take comfort in each other's company. I love you and my family more than anything in the world. I'd even give up my comfortable life in less than a heartbeat if it meant keeping everyone happy, safe, and with me."

"What Gray's trying to say is that we all want to have a happy and loving life just as much as you do. That means if anyone gets hurt emotionally, it's not intentional. If it happens, it happens. As long as you spend the same amount of time and energy healing your relationship as you do being mad at each other, things will work out," added Lyon.

Natsu pulled Lyon into his arms and gave him a hug. "You're really smart, you know that?" he whispered.

"Yeah, I get that a lot," Lyon stated with a smile.

Natsu chuckled. "I love you guys."

"I would hope so. I didn't give that speech for nothing," said Lyon.

"You're asking for it," warned Natsu.

"And he'll receive it later," continued Gray, giving Lyon a mock glare. "But on a more serious note, what happened in the past is in the past. It can haunt your future, but only if you let it. We all need to move on. And let go. It's over. It's done."

Natsu sighed contentedly, closing his eyes. He'd told them his story—most of it, anyway—and they were still here supporting him. Perhaps _this_ was what a real family was like. It felt good. _He_ felt good. Gray was right. He needed to move on, especially if he wanted to become a better overall person for Gray and Lyon. As long as he had them, he felt he could do it.

Growling soon interrupted his thoughts.

Gray chuckled. "Are you hungry?" he teased.

"That wasn't me," said Natsu.

They looked at Lyon, who looked back up at them sheepishly. "What? I didn't have lunch!"

"You skipped lunch?" Natsu exclaimed, shooting to his feet, hands on his hips as he glared at Lyon. "You couldn't take fifteen minutes away from your game to eat something? You're not being a very good adult."

Gray and Lyon got to their feet and stared at him strangely.

"I snacked on a granola bar," Lyon said, backing away from Natsu slowly.

"That's not a meal. And what about you? Did _you_ eat?" Natsu inquired, rounding on Gray.

The teen blanched and backed away with Lyon. "No." When Natsu's glare hardened, he stammered an explanation. "I was busy!"

"Too busy to eat?" replied Natsu, eyebrow raised skeptically.

"If I say yes, what are you going to do?" Gray asked slowly.

"Reprimand you for not taking better care of yourself. Just look at the example you're setting for Lyon!" Natsu argued.

"Example! He's the older one!"

"But you're smarter."

"Hey!"

Gray thought that now was the time to leave before Natsu went all out into 'mother-hen' mode. As he sprinted for the door, however, he found that it was already closed.

And locked.

From the outside.

"Lyon!" he screamed, shaking the door handle, desperate to get it open before Natsu blew up completely.

"Gray, for being so smart, you're an idiot."

"Huh?" replied Gray, confused by Natsu's sudden calm demeanor. He watched as the pinkette slid his hand through the open latch and unlocked the door. He opened the door and beckoned for Gray to step out. When he did, Natsu's eyes narrowed in anger again.

"I hope you like your head start, Gray! Because when I catch you, we're going to have a long talk on proper nutrition!"

"But…you came here malnourished," Gray argued in return.

"That's because I didn't have the money or resources to get a proper meal. Now that I do, I'm going to make sure you and Lyon are properly fed."

"Then how about you feed us rather than lecture us," Gray offered quickly.

Natsu paused. "Smartass," he mumbled as he strode in front of him.

Gray's smirk was finally back. "Aw, did I hurt Pinky's feelings?"

"Not if the Ice Prince kisses Pinky better," Natsu said, turning to smile sweetly at him.

He put his arms around Natsu's waist and pulled him into a kiss. "All better now?"

"All better," said Natsu, hugging Gray happily. "I love you."

"I love you, too. Hey, what are you laughing about?" Gray asked, puzzled by Natsu's sudden laughing fit.

"I was just thinking about this little interaction."

"What about it?"

"Well, when we do go all the way in the physical aspect of our relationship, I wonder how cheesy our role-playing will be."

Now Gray was really confused. "Role-playing? What do you mean by role-playing?"

Apparently Natsu wasn't the only one who was innocent. "Are you joking?"

"No."

Natsu grinned like an idiot then. Enlightening Gray on the subject was going to be fun!

* * *

 **End Chapter**


	14. Chapter 14

**My Fair Dragon**

* * *

Disclaimer – I do not own Fairy Tail

* * *

*Rated M for Mature

* * *

Summary: It's the day before Spring Break, and Natsu can't wait for some fun in the sun. But his dreams come crashing down when a school project not only winds up making him stay at the home of his worst enemy, but also his biggest crush—Gray Fullbuster! Modern/AU/High School

* * *

 **Chapter 14 – Thursday (Warning: Abuse/Alcohol)**

"Shit," Gajeel cursed under his breath as he stared into the vacant apartment. The man's mind had been more unstable than he had anticipated, and now that he was gone, things would undoubtedly head for the worst.

Gajeel quickly made his way out of the dingy apartment, taking steps two at a time as he whipped out his cell phone. After a few rings, Levy soon picked up.

" _Gajeel, where are you? You've been gone since yesterday. I've been worried sick_ ," Levy scolded from the other end.

"You can question me about that later. Right now, we have a very big problem. Call Lucy and tell her to get everyone to her place, _including_ Natsu," retorted Gajeel.

" _But…we don't know where he is._ "

"Lucy will. Trust me. I'll meet you there in a bit." And with that, Gajeel shut his phone, placing it back into his pocket.

He hoped that Natsu would forgive him. But if only the pinkette had been honest with him, this might not have happened.

* * *

Gray and Natsu sat on the couch, idly watching a movie, but both didn't seem too interested in it. They were too lost in their thoughts.

"Hey, Pinky?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you…love Zeref?" Gray asked, turning his tentative gaze to Natsu.

The pinkette was quite surprised by the question. Did he love Zeref? "Not in the sense you might be thinking. I did love him, but more like a brother and a friend…not a…lover. Never a lover."

"If he had lived, do you think you would have—"

"Fallen in love with him?" Natsu finished. "I don't know. And I don't think I would have had much of a choice in the matter in terms of lovers. It was either going to be me with Zeref…or Silver. At least Zeref was kind, but I could never have loved him like that. At least I don't think so. Our relationship might have grown stronger over time."

"Did he love you?" Gray's voice came out like a hoarse whisper.

"I think he loved me. He never said it, though. He had a more of a…physical way of showing how he felt. But if Zeref hadn't died and Silver hadn't either, we might have never met. Your mom took over Silver's business after he died. In a sadistic sort of way, I'm glad Zeref did die…because it brought me to you."

Gray felt his heart skip a beat to his boyfriend's deep confession. He was about to respond when Lyon entered the room holding the phone.

"Natsu? Lucy wants to talk to you. She says it's urgent," announced Lyon, handing him the phone.

The pinkette took it apprehensively and walked out of the room for a little privacy.

Gray turned toward Lyon after Natsu left. "Did Lucy say what she wanted?"

"Not really. She just sounded frantic. She wants everyone at her place as soon as possible," explained Lyon.

Just then, Natsu returned to the room looking uneasy.

"What's wrong, Pinky? Is everything okay?" Gray asked, concerned.

"Gajeel wants everyone at Lucy's place. He says we have a very big problem."

"Gajeel?" Now Gray was really confused.

"He said I need to be there, too. At least that's what Levy told Lucy." What if Gajeel had found out the truth? He'd know that he'd lied to him. Natsu wasn't sure if he could face Gajeel if that's what this was about.

"Why would Gajeel need you to be there?" questioned Gray suspiciously. "And don't lie to me."

"Gajeel found me one time…after I'd taken a pretty bad beating from my uncle. I told him that I got in a fight. He looked like he didn't believe me, but he didn't ask me anything else. Instead, he helped me get cleaned up. He took me to his place. Gajeel fed me and gave me a place to stay for the night. He's…kind of been looking out for me ever since, like an overbearing brother."

"And you're nervous about this meeting because he might have discovered you lied to him?" continued Gray.

"Yes. And what Gajeel might have done. Everyone else is going to be there, Gray. I don't know if I can handle this right now."

"Natsu, I'll be right there with you."

"Me too," added Lyon.

"Okay," Natsu conceded. "As long you're there, I should be fine."

* * *

Natsu sighed and steeled himself for the worst. By the looks of things, everyone was inside Lucy's house except for him, Gray, and Lyon.

"You can go in any time now. We've been standing here for five minutes already," quipped Gray. He was aggravated, but that was mostly due to the idea of confronting Natsu's friends again.

"Gray—"

"Look," he interrupted. "If you don't like the way things are going, we'll just leave. All right?"

"Yeah," Natsu muttered before he opened the door.

As soon as he stepped inside, everyone grew quiet. But as soon as Gray and Lyon followed, mostly everyone who was there erupted simultaneously. Apparently Lucy had told them that Nikko was Natsu. And that didn't seem to be going over too well.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Gray roared, silencing them immediately. He wasn't about to put up with any of their nonsense. "Now, what the hell did you want Natsu for?"

"Wait, where's Gajeel?" the pinkette asked suddenly.

"Natsu, I haven't heard from Gajeel for at least two hours," answered Levy. "He's not answering his cell."

Natsu froze. That meant—

"What is _with_ you?" Sting blurted.

The pinkette's eyes focused on his friend. "I'm not sure I know what you mean."

"That!" Sting exclaimed, pointing at Natsu accusingly. "Why are you talking like that? So calm? Did that bastard brainwash you?"

Natsu's eyes narrowed dangerously. "That _bastard_ just so happens to be my boyfriend."

"What?" gasped Erza.

"You mean it's true?" added Rogue.

"Yes. And if you have a problem with that then I suggest you get lost," stated Natsu.

Lucy and Loke stood there mutely, astonished by their friend's behavior. Sting just looked baffled, Levy seemed unsure, Erza remained indifferent, and Rogue just stared.

But before anyone could respond, the sound of the door opening brought them out of their stupor. Gajeel entered the house, Juvia and Cana flanking him.

"You lied to me," announced Gajeel, glaring at Natsu. "Why didn't you tell me the truth? I could have helped you! You could have stayed with me!" Gajeel's voice started to sound pained.

"I'm sorry," Natsu replied hoarsely. "I didn't want anyone to know."

"I could have helped you!" shouted Gajeel, his face mere inches from Natsu's. "Other than Levy, you're the only other person I care about. You're like the annoying little brother I never wanted to have," he whispered, his voice shrouded in hurt and sarcasm.

"Gajeel, I didn't tell anyone because I didn't want to put anyone in danger. Even you," implored Natsu.

"Well it's too late for that now," growled Gajeel.

"Gajeel? What did you do?" Natsu inquired fearfully. "What did you do?"

Gajeel suddenly looked uneasy. "I made a mistake. When you mentioned that Gray was helping you, I decided to look into why that might be. I soon discovered that your uncle was hurting you."

Natsu squeezed his eyes shut, hoping that what he was about to ask next wouldn't receive the answer he dreaded most. "Then what?"

"I found him. He was angry…but sober. He was rambling about all sorts of things…what he's done, but…"

"But what?"

"He ran off. I can't find him. He's fallen off the grid. I've asked Juvia and Cana to come here to help me locate him. I want you and the others to stay here until I fetch you."

"He's…gone?" A new panic seized Natsu like never before. If his uncle had truly fallen off the grid, where would he go? And what was he doing now?

Gray frowned, not liking this idea. "I can have everyone stay at my place if you're that worried. We have security to—"

"That won't help," Natsu cut in. "My uncle knows every nook and cranny of that place. He could get by security easily enough."

"Does your uncle have any contacts?" asked Gajeel. "That might help narrow down our search."

"I don't think—" Natsu's eyes widened in sudden realization. There was one person whom had known Silver just as long as his uncle. And this person now served under Gray's mother, but was he loyal to them?

"Is there someone we should know about, Natsu?" Gray inquired. He was not favoring the ghastly pale expression Natsu currently had.

Turning his eyes on Gray, the pinkette stated in one breath, "Gildarts."

"What?"

"Gildarts. My uncle knows Gildarts. They were friends when they both worked for Silver. He might go to him, but I don't know."

"Then we'll check it out," stated Gajeel, making ready to leave Lucy's with Juvia and Cana in tow. "And stay here," reiterated Gajeel. "All of you."

When the three finally left, Natsu stared at the floor. Well, he might as well start by telling his friends the truth.

It was going to be a long night.

And a sleepless one at that.

* * *

 **End Chapter**


	15. Chapter 15

**My Fair Dragon**

* * *

Disclaimer – I do not own Fairy Tail

* * *

*Rated M for Mature

* * *

Summary: It's the day before Spring Break, and Natsu can't wait for some fun in the sun. But his dreams come crashing down when a school project not only winds up making him stay at the home of his worst enemy, but also his biggest crush—Gray Fullbuster! Modern/AU/High School

* * *

 **Chapter 15 – Friday (Warning: Abuse/Alcohol/Gun)**

Rain.

That's what Natsu saw as he glanced out the window in the early hours of the morning. It was still somewhat dark—not even dawn—but the pitter-pattering of raindrops on the window were hard to ignore. It felt as if each beat from the rain on the glass counted down the remaining peace he had left before Gajeel returned.

But Natsu also wished that he could stand out in the rain and let it just wash away everything; his fears, his troubles, gathering in a puddle beneath his feet as the cool drops cleansed his body was fantastical in nature, but so dear to his wanting.

However, Natsu was inside Lucy's place nestled between Gray and Lyon, the rest of his friends snoozing away the morning in ignorance. They had no worries. Not like him. And yet, when he'd told his friends his story—the whole story—they hadn't turned their backs on him. In fact, they'd been quite accepting and understanding, much to his relief.

But today was a different day. Gajeel would return, bearing news of his uncle's whereabouts. Natsu wasn't sure whether he wanted to know where his uncle was or not. Either way, it couldn't be good.

Suddenly, the door opened. Even in the darkness, Natsu could make out Gajeel's form. Wriggling out from between Gray and Lyon, the pinkette all but raced toward his friends, eager to know what he'd found.

"Gajeel, did you—"

"Wake everyone up," Gajeel interrupted. "We have a very serious problem."

Natsu felt his stomach drop. A problem? What kind of problem? His uncle was practically harmless to other people. The only time he was a threat was when he—

"He's really sobered up, hasn't he? Where is he?" Natsu asked, eyes wide.

"We need to wake everyone first. Gray will want to hear this especially." And as Gajeel moved off to start waking the others, Natsu turned to do the same.

"Gray? Wake up. Gajeel's back."

"Hm? Pinky?" came Gray's groggy voice.

"Gajeel's back. He said he needs to tell us something. There's a problem."

"What kind of problem?" Gray was fully awake now.

"I don't know," Natsu replied worriedly. "And I don't think I want to."

"It'll be all right, Pinky," Gray said comfortingly, taking the pinkette's hand. "Now let's go see what Gajeel's discovered."

Natsu nodded slowly before waking up Lyon. And after some grumbling about wanting breakfast from him, the three headed for the living room where Gajeel was waiting impatiently.

"What's going on?" Gray demanded almost immediately.

"And where are Juvia and Cana?" inquired Levy.

Gajeel crossed his arms and frowned. "Juvia and Cana are keeping an eye on things while I fill all of you in on the situation."

"And what situation would that be?" asked Gray.

"Natsu's uncle is at the Fullbuster Co. building, Gray. Or rather, underneath it. He's more sober now than I think he's ever been. His brain is working like a machine."

"What the fuck is that man doing anywhere _near_ my mother's company?"

"Gildarts just so happened to take him there," Gajeel quipped.

"What are they doing?" Gray was just about ready to blow a fuse. What the hell was Gildarts up to? What was he thinking? He'd worked closely with his mother for years!

Gajeel paused, staring at the floor. There was no way to reveal this news lightly. No way in hell. "They're going to revive Silver Fullbuster."

Everyone gasped, but no one was in shock more than Natsu.

"No. No, no, no. They can't—he can't…he can't do that," the pinkette mumbled, looking ready to run.

"That's impossible," Gray stated matter-of-factly. "Silver is dead."

"No," Natsu exclaimed, realization hitting him. "He preserved his body. Like he did with Zeref. At the time, he'd used money from the company to further his research in resurrection. I didn't think he'd…how could he be successful?"

"That's what your uncle was mumbling about," conceded Gajeel. "And if you want your mother's precious company to remain hers, then I suggest we do something about it."

Gray couldn't believe what he was hearing. Silver? Back? But something didn't make sense. Turning to Natsu, he asked, "Why would your uncle help revive Silver?"

Natsu's face became blank. "To make a deal."

Gray's eyes narrowed. "What kind of deal?" His voice sounded deadly.

"What does my uncle want more than anything? And what would he be willing to give for it?" replied Natsu.

The rest of the group seemed puzzled, but Gray caught on quicker than Natsu had expected.

"Like hell he's selling you to him," Gray spat. Rounding on Gajeel, he growled, "Where are they?"

"They're underneath the company. There's a hidden doorway that leads to an underground facility. They hope to revive him and destroy the company," Gajeel answered slowly.

A dangerous aura seemed to resonate in the room and it was coming from none other than Gray Fullbuster.

"I will not allow this to happen. Silver will remain dead and Gildarts and that despicable excuse of a man will be put away for life! No one, and I mean no one, threatens me, my family, or my mother's company. She worked too hard just to lose everything. Anyone who wants to mess with what is ours has to deal with me."

Natsu had to admit that Gray's speech was convincing, but he was hurt that the teen hadn't mentioned him. After everything they'd been through…

"Natsu? I want you and Lyon to stay here," announced Gray, drawing Natsu from his thoughts.

"What? No!" the pinkette protested.

"Please listen to me," Gray begged. "I don't want to have to worry about you and Lyon while trying to stop them. I love you both. You know that right?"

Natsu's heart warmed at that, but he wasn't going to sit around and wait for anything. "I love you, too. But I am not going to stay. I'm coming with you. If you leave me behind, I swear I'll just come after you."

Gray sighed. He knew Natsu would stay true to his words, so he relented. "All right, but everyone else stays."

"No! I want to help!" declared Lucy.

"No," Gray said firmly. "I'd feel a lot better if the rest of you would stay behind. If something goes wrong…I can't bear the thought of anyone getting hurt because of Silver. Just stay here while we're gone. Please."

Hearing such a heartfelt confession from the normally stoic teen won them over. Agreeing to stay—even a reluctant Lyon—Gajeel, Natsu, and Gray soon set off for the Fullbuster Co. building.

* * *

"Everything's almost ready," announced Gildarts as he bustled to and fro from computer to computer.

"Good, good," muttered Acnologia anxiously. He wanted to get this over with as soon as possible. The sooner Silver revived, the sooner he'd be able to make his deal and vanish. "How long is this going take?"

"I'm activating the machine now. I'd say Silver Fullbuster will be revived completely within the hour."

"Good, good," repeated Acnologia, staring at the still form of Silver, who was currently laying on an examination table, IVs and wires sticking out of his body in varying places. It was just a matter of time, time Acnologia wished would move by quickly.

* * *

"It's about time you three showed up," said Cana. "They've already started the procedure."

"How long ago?" asked Gajeel.

"About forty minutes or so," answered Juvia.

"Why the hell didn't you stop them?" snapped Gray. Couldn't these two do anything right?

"Well, I'm so sorry, Mr. Fullbuster," Cana replied snidely. "We can't get in. That's what we need you for. We can't risk the chance of setting anything off, so we've been observing. You'll have to bypass the security. You can do that, right?"

"Why, you—"

"This is no time to be messing around," Natsu said, a glare on his face that rivaled Gray's own. "Let's get inside then you guys show us where we need to go."

The two nodded, leading the three into the building, Gray mere inches behind them.

After they traversed to the lowest level of the company, Cana pointed to a small panel which seemed to be built into the wall. And that's just what it looked like: a wall. If it weren't for the flashing lights on the panel, no one would have noticed anything.

"That's it?" inquired Gray.

"That's it," replied Juvia.

Gray stepped up to the panel and eyed it precariously. It was similar to what his mother used; he knew that. But it looked familiar somehow. Where had he seen it before?

"It's like the one at the house," blurted Natsu suddenly.

"Hm? What do you mean, Pinky?"

"That's the security system for the house—your house. It's identical."

"Are you sure?"

Natsu nodded. "I would know. My uncle installed them."

"I've never had to access it myself. Do you know how to access them? The code? Anything?"

"I don't know the code," the pinkette began, "but I know how to deactivate it. At least I think I do."

"Well, give it a shot. If it doesn't work, we can always wait until they come out," said Gajeel.

Natsu took a deep breath and approached the panel. If he knew anything about his uncle, it was that he was as simple as could be. His memory wasn't all that great, so a password or code would be astonishingly simple, like—

"Ah, what the hell," Natsu sighed, punching in the code 1-2-3-4. He squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for some sort of blaring alarm. When sirens weren't screaming at him, he hesitantly opened his eyes, only to see the panel light up green.

He had access! All he had to do now was open the door.

"Good job, Pinky," whispered Gray, stepping in front Natsu. "Are you ready?"

"Yes."

Gray braced himself and opened the door. The sight that met his gaze nearly floored him.

Silver stood in the center of the room, fully dressed in a suit as he worked at his tie. He looked just as he did all those years ago, except now he had a large scar on his face. Gildarts and Acnologia flanked him, appearing quite appalled that the group of them had made it inside. Silver, however, seemed oblivious to this.

"It's good to see you again, Gray," Silver announced in his deep and dire tone. The old man's eyes locked with Gray's, who stood there motionlessly. "I see you brought company. Would you care to introduce them?"

"Natsu? What the hell are you doing here?" exclaimed Acnologia, realizing for the first time that his nephew was present.

Silver's attention soon found its way to Natsu. When their gazes caught, he smiled. "Natsu," he said, joy filling his voice. "My, it has been quite some time hasn't it? Come here and let me take a good look at you."

"I don't think so," Gray ground out, standing in front of Natsu protectively.

This action took Silver by surprise. He'd never seen his son act in that way unless it was for his siblings and mother. A weird glint found its way into Silver's eyes when he put two and two together.

"What a small world we live in," started Silver. "Who would have thought that you, Gray, would be with my sweet, little Natsu."

"I am not yours and never will be!" yelled the pinkette, stepping out from behind Gray's protective stance.

"Now hold on just a minute!" roared Acnologia, pulling something from his coat. He aimed it at Natsu. It was a gun. "Nobody moves until I get what I want, or I'll start shooting."

They all froze. Natsu, better than anyone, knew how good of a shot his uncle was; his aim was impeccable.

"Put the gun away, Acnologia," warned Silver, his eyes glued to the man's finger. It wasn't on the trigger. Not yet, anyway. "Let's discuss this."

Acnologia laughed shrewdly. "Discuss what?" he spat. "I want to make a deal. If I don't get my deal…well, you know how it'll go."

"What do you want?" questioned Gray, hoping to find a chance to get the gun away from the man. If he could distract him long enough, maybe he could get the gun.

"The deal isn't with you. It's with him," said Acnologia, indicating Silver.

"Well, what is it you want?"

"I want five million. Cash."

"And what do I receive in return?"

"My nephew," replied Acnologia.

"Like hell!" Gray roared, taking a few steps toward the man.

"Ah, ah, ah. Stay or I shoot!" Acnologia retaliated, raising his voice and waving the gun.

"You will _not_ take Natsu away from me," Gray said coldly.

"That's not your decision to make!" he screamed, losing what little patience he had. "Ah, screw the damn deal!" He turned his gun on his nephew. "Bye, Natsu."

Time seemed to move in slow motion at that point. And Gray didn't have time to react. It happened too quickly.

Two shots rang out.

And all Gray saw was Natsu hitting the floor.

He wasn't moving.

* * *

 **End Chapter**


	16. Chapter 16

**My Fair Dragon**

* * *

Disclaimer – I do not own Fairy Tail

* * *

*Rated M for Mature

* * *

Summary: It's the day before Spring Break, and Natsu can't wait for some fun in the sun. But his dreams come crashing down when a school project not only winds up making him stay at the home of his worst enemy, but also his biggest crush—Gray Fullbuster! Modern/AU/High School

* * *

 **Chapter 16 – Saturday (Warning: Abuse/Alcohol/Death)**

"I'm sorry, Mr. Fullbuster. We couldn't save him. The gunshot hit a vital organ. Mr. Dragneel didn't have a chance," announced the doctor. He currently stood in front of Gray in the waiting room.

The teen's expression remained emotionless, but he nodded slightly, indicating that he'd heard him.

"If you need anything, feel free to ask," said the doctor.

As the man left, Gildarts slowly approached Gray. "I am truly sorry that it had to end this way. I know that—"

"Leave," Gray whispered breathlessly. "Just…leave."

"As you wish, sir," Gildarts replied, bowing as he made his leave.

When Gray was alone, the teen made his way over to a chair, plopped himself down, and buried his face in his hands.

This was all wrong. This wasn't supposed to happen. It wasn't supposed to happen this way. And yet, Gray couldn't bring himself to understand just what he should be feeling right now. He didn't know whether he wanted to cry or have a nervous breakdown.

"Mr. Fullbuster?" came the soft voice of a woman.

Gray raised his head to locate the sound of the soothing voice. It was a nurse.

"Mr. Fullbuster, someone is awake and ready to see you," she said sweetly.

"Thank you," he mumbled as he bolted from his seat. He raced to the room he'd been waiting to enter since yesterday.

"What took you so long to get here?" a raspy voice called from the room.

Gray stepped inside, shut the door, walked over to the bed, pulled the patient into his arms, and kissed him. "Natsu, I thought I lost you," the teen said through his tears as he lowered himself to the bed.

Natsu clung to him desperately. "I thought you lost me, too. What happened? Where was I shot?"

"Natsu, you weren't shot," Gray explained.

The pinkette's brows knitted in confusion. "But I heard the gun…and my body aches everywhere."

"You weren't shot," repeated Gray.

"But someone else was?" When Gray only nodded, Natsu continued. "Please tell me what happened."

"It all happened so quickly. I didn't have time to react."

"Gray, slow down. Just take your time."

Taking a deep breath, he started to explain what happened. "When your uncle snapped, his finger moved to the trigger, and since the gun was aimed at you, he was going to shoot you, but…"

Natsu grabbed his hand. "But what?"

"Silver jumped in at the last second. He took the shot. He saved you. It was just when your uncle fired the gun that Gildarts pulled out his own and…and shot your uncle."

Gray felt more than heard Natsu inhale sharply. "Gray? What happened to them?" The pinkette's voice was barely discernible, it was so soft.

"Silver died within minutes of being shot. The force of the impact caused him to hit you backward; you slammed into the wall. It knocked you out cold. As Silver lay dying, he said he was sorry for what we'd been through, and he told me that I had his blessing. He hoped…we would be happy together."

"Why would—"

"Gildarts said that it had always been their plan to catch your uncle. After he killed Zeref and your uncle disappeared with you, Silver had been obsessed with getting his revenge. I suppose now…he got what he wanted."

"What do you mean?" asked Natsu, his eyes watery with unshed tears.

"Gildarts's shot hit one of your uncle's vital organs. The doctor said he didn't have a chance. They couldn't save him. Natsu, your uncle is dead," Gray answered as carefully as he could. He wasn't sure what sort of reaction he'd receive from the pinkette.

Natsu didn't know what to feel. He was both saddened and relieved that his uncle was gone. And he didn't know whether he felt like laughing or crying, so he ended up doing both, although, it was a hollow sound.

"He's gone?" Natsu cried.

"He's gone. Your uncle's gone."

"So is your father. Again," the pinkette commented leisurely. "We've both lost someone. But this time, it's permanent."

Gray didn't have to ask what Natsu meant, because he already knew. Silver and Acnologia were gone for good. They would never hurt anyone ever again.

Sure, they had probably been two of the most twisted parental figures on the face of the planet, but regardless of this, there always seemed to be a place—deep, deep down—where a child would always feel something akin to love for them. But now that they were gone, so was the feeling.

"We'll hold a service for them—the both of them—on Wednesday. I'll make all of the arrangements," stated Gray a little more formally. Natsu guessed that was just the way he dealt with things.

"Okay," the pinkette replied gently. "Can we go home now? I think…no, I _need_ to call my sister and tell her what's happened."

"Sure," said Gray, rising from the bed. He gave Natsu a loving kiss on his temple. "We'll go home."

After Gray left, Natsu stared at the hospital blankets and sighed. He was going to have to call his sister, but in order to do that he'd have to get past his aunt. Well, at least calling was the easy part. Stopping his aunt from hanging up on him was another story entirely.

* * *

 **End Chapter**


	17. Chapter 17

**My Fair Dragon**

* * *

Disclaimer – I do not own Fairy Tail

* * *

*Rated M for Mature

* * *

Summary: It's the day before Spring Break, and Natsu can't wait for some fun in the sun. But his dreams come crashing down when a school project not only winds up making him stay at the home of his worst enemy, but also his biggest crush—Gray Fullbuster! Modern/AU/High School

* * *

 **Chapter 17 – Sunday _(Warning: Mentions of Character Death)_**

Natsu stood out on the balcony of Gray's house and overlooked the vast garden below. With it being spring, he noticed that many of the plants—both foreign and not—coming into full bloom. It was peaceful and a gentle reminder of what had happened the day before.

Yesterday had gone smoother than Natsu had expected. After returning to the house, Gray had made the call he'd promised and arranged for a service for both Silver and his uncle. The plots for their burial had been chosen and everything was good to go for this coming Wednesday.

With the arrangements being made, Natsu had ventured off into his own solitary place so that he could make the call he'd dreaded for most of his life. He had to call his aunt.

As he'd dialed the number, a lump had made its way to his throat, preventing him from uttering a sound. And after a few rings, the phone had been answered…and his sister, Wendy, had been the one to answer the phone.

Natsu couldn't have wished for anything better to happen. While he struggled to inform his sister of their uncle's death, Wendy had also told their aunt, who'd walked in on the phone call. Wendy had then told him that she and their aunt would be there by Tuesday in time for the service on Wednesday.

With that all said and done, Natsu had hung up the phone and cried. He was going to see his aunt and sister, but he wasn't sure how things would pan out. He'd just have to wait and see. The pinkette really hoped that things would turn out for the better for once and not the worst.

But today was a different day. He felt relaxed and at peace. Nothing could interrupt his moment of tranquility.

"Pinky? We need to talk."

Okay. So maybe that _might_ damper his serene moment for a bit.

"About what?"

"I know that this probably isn't the best time for this—and I don't mean to intrude on your privacy—I know you need some space now and all, but we still have our Social Behavior Project to finish. It's due tomorrow," Gray rambled anxiously.

Natsu remained staring out into the garden, a small smirk on his face that Gray couldn't see. Leave it to Gray to witness his father dying—again—and he was worried about school. That was Gray for you.

"What did you want to do about it? This whole thing started out with you wanting me to be your guinea pig, but now…so much has changed," Natsu replied softly.

"I know what you mean," said Gray, approaching the pinkette from behind and embracing him, Natsu's back resting against his chest. "I think we've both changed somewhat. My original plan had been to present you in class with a complete makeover accompanied by perfect speech and an essay on how I got you there."

"And now?" asked Natsu, curious.

"And now, you ruined all my hard work," Gray chuckled.

"Gee, I feel so loved," Natsu teased.

Gray sighed. "You are loved. Very much, in fact," he mumbled, leaning down to plant kisses on Natsu's neck.

Natsu shrugged. "Please, Gray. Not today. I'd love nothing more than to have a hot make-out session, but there's still too much going on, and I'm about to be a nervous wreck."

"That's fine," Gray said. "So, my genius Pinky, any ideas for what we're going to do for our project?"

The pinkette pondered the question for a moment before his eyes lit up with an idea. "What if we somehow tweak our project a bit and turn it into a piece on emotional intelligence?"

"That seems like a bit of a leap. Where are you going with this?"

Natsu pulled away from Gray so that he could look at him. "Have you ever read the book _Emotional Intelligence_ by Daniel Goleman?" After Gray nodded, he continued. "Well, our project will still be on Social Behavior, but we can have a focus on emotional intelligence. That way, both of us can show our sides of how we act. Not just one of us."

"So you want us to present varying ways that different people respond to certain situations? Am I to assume that you want to speak about ways of knowing?"

"Yes. Not all of them, just three: spiritual, rational, and imaginative," explained Natsu.

"You really are hitting all the bases, aren't you?"

Natsu chuckled when he noticed the frown on Gray. "Hey, it's not like we're going to change how people think of _you_. You're still the same person you've always been. We're just going to put it into perspective for everyone else."

Gray seemed to think on this for a moment before he responded. "Fine. We'll do it. I'm just glad our schedules are flipped when we go back to school tomorrow. That means we have Psychology first period. We'll be able to get it over with as soon as we get to school."

"You really _do_ hate psychology, don't you?" Natsu asked, quite amused.

"They're idiots in my opinion. They try advising you when they only have a shallow view of who you are. They don't see every aspect of your life or what you go through. Then they want you to tell them what happened to you so that they can tell you what to do. And if that doesn't work, they prescribe medication. It's a waste of time."

Natsu wrapped his arms around Gray's waist and held him close. "That's the beauty of having a confidant. You can tell them anything and they won't judge you."

"Are you saying you're my confidant?"

"Only if you want me to be. And speaking of confidants, I have something to confide in you."

"What's that?"

"After school tomorrow, can we…I need to go back to my uncle's apartment."

Gray tensed. "Why? You have everything you need here. You don't need to go back."

"I don't _want_ to go back, but I need to. There are a few sentimental items I need to pick up," Natsu replied slowly.

"All right." Gray gave in. "We'll both go tomorrow after school. Lyon will have to come along since he'll be the one driving us."

Natsu's expression became strange, and Gray couldn't quite figure out what it was. But then it was gone. And a happy expression now took its place. Gray knew it was fake, but perhaps he would discover what it all meant tomorrow.

"Let's go work on our project now," urged the pinkette, leading Gray away from the balcony.

"Sure, Pinky. Let's go," he agreed distantly.

Was Natsu afraid of him and Lyon being at his previous place of residence? If so, why? Didn't he know that they cared about him deeply? They would _never_ turn on him for any reason. Wasn't he aware of that?

Only time would tell.

* * *

 **End Chapter**


	18. Chapter 18

**My Fair Dragon**

* * *

Disclaimer – I do not own Fairy Tail

* * *

*Rated M for Mature

* * *

Summary: It's the day before Spring Break, and Natsu can't wait for some fun in the sun. But his dreams come crashing down when a school project not only winds up making him stay at the home of his worst enemy, but also his biggest crush—Gray Fullbuster! Modern/AU/High School

* * *

 **Chapter 18 – Monday (Warning: Mentions of alcohol)**

"Are you sure I should be wearing this today, Gray?" Natsu asked, looking down at what he was dressed in. He wore black slacks, matching dress shoes, and a crimson silk dress shirt.

"Absolutely. You are part of the project, after all," replied Gray as he desperately tried to resist touching the pinkette in a naughty way. What? He couldn't help it if Natsu looked…drool worthy. It wasn't _his_ fault! Honest! It was his damn hormones.

"Would you stop staring at my ass already?" snapped Natsu, who was now blushing furiously. "This is neither the time nor place for you to—"

"Hi, Natsu! Gray!" announced Lucy as she raced over to the two of them in the schoolyard.

"Hey, Lucy," replied Natsu as he glared at Gray.

"Um…I'm sorry about your uncle," Lucy stammered. "I wish there was something I could do—."

"It's all right, Lucy. You being my friend and being here for me is enough."

Lucy beamed, feeling much better by her friend's kind words. "So, are you ready for class this morning? You're presenting, right?"

"Yes, we are…unfortunately," muttered Gray.

Natsu rolled his eyes. "Let's just get to class," groaned the pinkette, already feeling exhausted. Today was going to be a long day.

* * *

"Welcome back, class," droned Mr. Dreyar, their oh-so-lovely Psychology teacher. "It's nice to see all of you here in once piece."

Gray felt his eye twitch. He hated teachers, especially ones who assigned pointless projects like—.

"Ow!" he hissed. He turned and glared at his attacker. "What the hell was that for?"

"Stop giving him the death glare," stated Natsu.

"Why should I?"

"One, it doesn't faze him, and two, it has yet to kill people, so just cut it out already."

"And since Mr. Dragneel and Mr. Fullbuster appear quite anxious to talk, perhaps the two of you should present your project first?" cut in Mr. Dreyar.

Gray's death glare was back in full force now. But before he could say a word, Natsu cut in.

"All right. We're coming," said Natsu calmly, rising from his seat.

Mr. Dreyar—as well as most of the students—did a double take. Not only did Natsu look different today, he sounded…different, at least to the majority of the people in the classroom.

"Right," started Mr. Dreyar. "The two of you can come on up here and give your presentation."

They went to the front of the classroom where Natsu began. "Our Social Behavior Project is on Emotional Intelligence, which lays the foundation for a person to be able to recognize, understand, and explain their own emotions. At least, that's what Daniel Goleman, author of _Emotional Intelligence_ , tells us."

"When a person's emotions blind or obstruct their decision making and/or how they act toward others, more turmoil is added to the mix. By incorporating spiritual, rational, and/or imaginative ways of knowing into these emotionally over-stimulated situations, one can succeed in taking control over their emotions," added Gray.

"A few examples for using spiritual ways of knowing to overcome emotions," continued Natsu, "are through religion, nature, and meditation. Using religion to overcome passive and aggressive behavior in relationships can be done if both parties are willing to do so.

"For example, Daniel Goleman says that, 'habitual criticism and contempt or disgust are danger signs because they indicate that a husband or wife has made a silent judgment for the worse about their partner.' Goleman continues, saying that 'as a habitual response, stonewalling is devastating to the health of a relationship: it cuts off all possibility of working out disagreements.' Religion sets the foundation for equality between the sexes and serves as a means to take on any challenge. In a rocky relationship, both parties can result to prayer and/or speaking with whatever entity they believe in. This provides people with something to fall back on when they feel at a loss and do not know what to do anymore."

"People can also use nature, or natural settings, as a means to ease their anxiety," said Gray. "Goleman states that 'the worrying mind spins on in an endless loop of low-grade melodrama, one set of concerns leading on to the next and back again.' As a person takes their mind off of their fears and focuses on something else, such as a tree or a bird, the anxiety lessens because the person's attention is not fixated on the threat anymore.

"This also falls under the category of meditation. By separating one's mind from their active thoughts and concentrating solely on breathing, mostly everything that threatened one's peace of mind slowly fades. One must choose to use this method and be adamant in doing so. Furthermore, taking the time to empty one's mind and worrying about tomorrow the following day may relieve stress as well."

"The second method people can use to ease their overworked emotions is through a rational way of knowing," Natsu stated seriously. "Most people do not think rationally when overcome with emotions.

"For example, some behavioral skills may be beneficial in this case. One aspect of the rational way of knowing is to be open to different sources of knowledge, yet being cautious toward bad reasoning. A person can be open to an argument through certain verbal and nonverbal communication skills.

"According to Goleman, in nonverbal communication, a person can use eye contact, facial expressions, different tones of voice, and gestures. Non-defensive listening is important here. Goleman also points out that with verbal communication, an individual can focus on listening to others empathically without thinking about what they want to say before the other person is finished speaking, resisting negative influences, and making clear requests."

"Goleman continues to say the emotional and the rational mind 'operate in tight harmony for the most part, intertwining their very different ways of knowing to guide us through the world;' the overall purpose of the rational mind is to refine and sometimes veto the inputs of the emotions. This is quite a difficult task because one must manage their feelings in order to continue thinking rationally," finished Gray.

"The final method that may be used to overcome some emotions is through the imaginative way of knowing. For instance, in the game Purdy played by the children in Goleman's _Emotional Intelligence_ , the children changed the outcome of the tragedy. Instead, the children kill Purdy, thus 'boosting their sense of mastery over that traumatic moment of helplessness.' In other words, a person can use their imagination to change what really happened in order to retrain their emotional brain," continued Natsu.

"By doing so, individuals are able to make themselves feel stronger about what originally happened and they feel in control of themselves. However, this is not always easy. Joseph LeDoux, quoted from Goleman's _Emotional Intelligence_ , says that 'once your emotional system learns something, it seems to never let it go.' People who suffer from this type of trauma can use art, writing, and mental imagery to try and gain control over their distress and fear," added Gray. "Using imagination helps. It is almost as if one is tricking their mind into thinking or believing something else in order to overcome a trauma."

"Goleman states that through using the spiritual, rational, and imaginative ways of knowing, individuals can become emotionally self-aware, manage their emotions, harness those emotions productively, read emotions empathically, and handle relationships. Spirituality provides a backbone or something to fall back on; it provides hope when a person feels lost and out of control.

"Ration, which is the hardest to maintain, allows people to listen better to others and take on another's perspective. Imagination helps develop 'a repertoire of empathic response.' Sometimes people, especially children, can imitate how others react, such as reacting to distress. Placing one's reactions into another's mind can assist in overcoming strong emotions that harm individuals," said Natsu.

"Overall, _Emotional Intelligence_ deals greatly in emotion and one can definitely identify the instances where spiritual, rational, and imaginative ways of knowing can help a person in overcoming dire and somewhat traumatic circumstances. There is no guarantee that any of these methods will work and if individuals are unwilling to attempt these methods, their situations may worsen," concluded Gray. "Knowing what one is feeling and why one reacts the way they do is the first step in inducing positive health-related behavioral change. To observe one's own self outside of what one is feeling helps to analyze and change how one reacts emotionally. The process is not easy, but it is a beneficial one."

"Thank you. And that is our Social Behavior Project on Emotional Intelligence," finished Natsu.

"That—was—marvelous!" crowed Mr. Dreyar. "In all my years—you—you both get A's for this project! Congratulations! Let's give them a round of applause, ladies and gentlemen!"

Gray and Natsu, unused to an exuberant Mr. Dreyar—which seemed to be the mutual feeling of their classmates—scurried to their seats as quickly as possible.

Apparently, they had done well…really well. Perhaps today wouldn't be such a bad day after all.

* * *

"You guys don't have to come with me, you know." Natsu spoke softly as the car approached the abandoned-looking apartment complex.

Gray inwardly cringed when he eyed the place through the window. He almost felt like he'd have to get a Tetanus shot from just looking at it. "We're coming with you," he said finally. "I don't trust you going in there alone."

"You…don't trust me?" Natsu inquired, confused.

"What I mean to say, Pinky, is that I don't want you going in there alone. I don't trust anything about this place or who may reside in it, so we're coming with you. Understood?"

"Fine," Natsu grumbled as he got out of the car. "Hurry up then."

Gray was a little taken aback by the pinette's brash attitude, but he let it slide for now. As soon as he and Lyon were out of the car, they noticed that Natsu had already headed into the place.

"Come on, Lyon. I want to see why Natsu doesn't want us here."

"Why would Natsu not want us here?" asked Lyon.

"I think he might be embarrassed by his social status and where he was reduced to living. Perhaps he believes that if we see how he's lived that we'll throw him out or something."

"We we wouldn't do that!" Lyon protested heartily.

"I know we wouldn't," Gray agreed, picking up his pace so that he wouldn't lose sight of Natsu, "but I don't think he does."

Lyon didn't know how to respond to that. He thought Natsu trusted them, loved them even. He already perceived the pinkette as another younger brother, so why would Natsu be ashamed over something he'd had no control over?

Gray was barely a step behind Natsu once he finally caught up with him. And the more they proceeded through the apartment complex, the more Gray couldn't believe how Natsu had lived. How on earth could the pinkette have put up with this for so long? It looked like they were walking through some third world country that was desperately in need of assistance.

"Here we are," Natsu announced suddenly. "You guys stay out here. I won't be long."

"Too bad," said Gray, brushing past the pinkette and into the trashed apartment. "We're not waiting out there."

Gray's eyes panned the apartment in disgust. Broken beer bottles and cigarettes littered nearly every available surface. The furniture was broken, the carpet unkempt; it was filthy. If the living room was this bad, he didn't want to even think about the kitchen, let alone the bathroom.

"Where's your room?" Lyon had entered the apartment and was now looking at Natsu curiously.

The pinkette hesitated before walking silently over to a broken door near the end of the small hallway. He stared at the splintered door blankly. Apparently, his uncle had broken into his room when he made his escape a little more than two weeks ago.

Had it really been that long? Was there even anything left in his so-called room? And what if Gray and Lyon wanted to see? What would they think?

Gray noticed Natsu's change in demeanor. He'd gone from uneasy to upset in a matter of seconds.

"Pinky, everything's going to be okay. Go get your things," he urged him soothingly.

The pinkette took a deep breath and pushed open the broken door, stepping into the room slowly. He glanced around the room, somewhat relieved that it looked exactly as he'd left it.

"This is your room?" Lyon exclaimed, eyes widening in shock. "But…there's no bed or… _anything_."

Natsu winced. It was true. There was barely anything in here. What he called his bed was really just a small space on the floor with a flat pillow and raggedy blanket with holes in it. His closet was just a beaten up cardboard box. His most precious items were hidden underneath the floorboards below said box.

Gray had been grounded by the sight. Natsu had lived like this? How the hell had he survived like this for so long?

"Home, sweet home," Natsu mumbled as he walked over to the cardboard box, pushing it aside. Fiddling around with the floorboards, he removed them and pulled out a tattered brown bag. After he put the floorboards back in place, he rose. "We can go now."

Suddenly, two pairs of arms found their way around him, hugging him tightly.

"Natsu, I'm sorry. I didn't know it was like this. If I'd known, I never would have teased you so much."

"It's okay, Gray. You didn't know. No one did. It was always my little secret. That's why I tried to spend the night at my friends' as much as I could. You guys aren't…disgusted by me, are you?"

"Natsu, we could never feel that way. We care about you too much. You're like a little brother to me," replied Lyon as he released Natsu from his embrace.

"Pinky, this apartment—this room—is just that. An apartment, a room. It doesn't say anything about who you are. It just shows how strong of an individual you have become because of it. You don't take anything for granted. You appreciate everything you have in life, no matter how little it is."

Natsu tightened his arms around Gray, burying his face in the crook of his neck. "Thank you," came the muffled reply. "That really means a lot to me."

Gray pushed Natsu away some before dipping his head and giving him a deep kiss.

"We love you, Natsu. Now, let's go home."

Home.

That was something Natsu hadn't pictured himself having in a long time. And he really liked the sound of it, too.

Home.

* * *

 **End Chapter**


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